Driscoll, Wellons Reign Supreme in New England Championship Cyclocross Series

Driscoll, Van Guilder Sweep NBX Grand Prix

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 7, 2008
CONTACT:
Alan Atwood
Media Coordinator, Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series
(802) 238-0196
alan_atwood@hotmail.com

WARWICK, Rhode Island (December 7, 2008) – Jamey Driscoll (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com) and Laura Van Guilder (C3/Sollay) swept the final 2 rounds of the 2008 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series this weekend at Goddard Park in Warwick, Rhode Island, with Driscoll and Rebecca Wellons (Ridley) taking the overall 2008 series.

When push came to shove, there was no one in the field that could match the accelerations of Driscoll and he was not contested for both days on the weekend. The race within the race was for 2nd on each day, contested right to the end. Nick Keough (Jittery Joe’s/Sonic) recovered well from a miserable 2nd half last week in Sterling to outsprint Adam Myerson (Cycle-Smart/Van Dessel) to take 2nd on Saturday, while Justin Spinelli (Richard Sachs/RGM Watches/Boathouse) showed Derrick St. John (Stevens Cross) and the rest of the field on Sunday he is on good form heading towards next week’s national championships.

Driscoll’s win on Saturday gave him enough to secure the series win, while Matt White (Bikereg.com/Joe’s Garage) finished comfortably in 2nd overall. Justine Lindine capped off a stellar 2008 campaign with a 3rd place finish in the overall series.

Laura Van Gilder came to Rhode Island off a very successful first campaign in Europe, and she took on all comers and conquered for 2 wins in 2 days. She had to work the full 40 minutes on Saturday as Natasha Elliott (Stevens) stuck with her until the end, but she decided to do it by herself on Sunday, as her win was a clear 31 seconds.

Wellons’ two top 5 finishes on the weekend was enough to maintain her lead and win her first Verge series. Sally Annis (NEBC/CycleLoft/Devonshire Dental) leapfrogged into 2nd place in the series with a similar duo of top 5 finishes. Amy Dombroski, who won the first 4 races of the series, was 3rd overall.

The Masters 35+ races this season were some of the best of the series, and Jonny Bold (Corner Cycles) sealed the 2008 overall series with a 3rd place finish on Saturday, allowing him to take the day off on Sunday and watch the snowy festivities from the sidelines. But the weekend belonged to Mark McCormack (Team FUJI) as he swept the weekend as he gets ready for a shot at the masters national title. McCormack’s performances were good enough to give him 2nd overall for the series by 4 points over one of his season long rivals Roger Aspholm (Westwood Velo).

Junior leader Luke Keough (CLNoonan) made an unexpected appearance this weekend and continued his dominance over the U19 junior field with 2 wins and taking the overall series. Manny Goguen (Minuteman Road Club) and Jesse Keough (CLNoonan) solidified their 2nd and 3rd overall places with top 5 finishes on both days.

In other series, Nick Keough won the U23 title with 2 top 5 finishes in the elite races this weekend. James Tosca secured the overall victory in the men’s amateur race with a win on Saturday. The season long battle between Curtis White (CBRC) and Nate Morse (CLNoonan) came to a head on Sunday with a game 7-like one ride for all the marbles. White used one last push on the final lap to get rid of Morse and thus took the Junior 10-14 series in what was an epic battle. Kevin Hines (Corner Cycles) actually lost on Saturday for the first time this year, but he had the season series wrapped up before the weekend started, and took revenge on Sunday to win 8 of the 9 Masters 45+ races this season. Dusty Adams (MosaicSmalti.com) swept the weekend in the Masters 55+ race to secure the overall title on the final weekend of the season.

The 2008 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series was brought to you by Verge Sport, makers of fine cycling clothing and products since 1993; by Cycle-Smart, purveyors of personalized cycling coaching and solutions for riders across the country; by Cycle-Ops, makers of high-tech accessories to meet any indoor training plans; by Echappe, rent-to-own the latest in race wheels – try before you buy at Echappe; by BikeReg.com, the official online registration service of the NECCS; and by Paul Weiss Photo/Video, the official photographer of the NECCS. You can visit these sponsors and get more information on the series by going to the web at http://www.necyclocross.com.

2008 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series:

• September 27 & 28 - Green Mountain Cyclo-Cross Weekend - Williston, VT
• October 11 & 12 - Erdinger Grand Prix of Gloucester - Gloucester, MA
• November 1 & 2 - Cycle-Smart International - Northampton, MA
• November 29 - Bay State Cyclocross - Sterling, MA
• December 6 & 7 - NBX Cyclocross - Warwick, RI

For more information on the 2008 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series please go to www.necyclocross.com

Images courtesy Paul Weiss