Elliott Doubles, Johnson Gets Home Win at Day 2 of Gloucester

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 4, 2009
CONTACT:
Alan Atwood
Operations Director, Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series
(802) 238-0196
alan_atwood@hotmail.com

Natasha Elliott (Garneau Club Chaussure Ogilvy) made it a sweep of the women’s race while Tim Johnson allowed the sunny skies to fill his sails on the way to his victory at day 2 of the Great Brewers Grand Prix of Gloucester.
 
The women quickly established a 5 person front group with Elliott, Maureen Bruno-Roy (MM Racing p/b Seven Cycles), Laura Van Guilder (C3 Athletes), Amy Dombroski (Richard Sachs/RGM Watches/Radix), and Sally Annis (Hub Racing).  Bruno-Roy went to the front early and created a gap leaving Annis behind and the remaining riders chasing.  But a bobble on an off-camber section allowed Van Guilder to reach her with Elliott not far behind.  The trio worked together until Bruno-Roy slid out in the next-to-last turn of the lap and lost ground on the now two-some.  Elliott continued to put on the pressure, but Van Guilder was sitting back waiting to strike at the last moment, as she was setting up for a 2-up sprint which she was sure to win.  But what she didn’t count on was a rear flat at 1k to go, which ruined her chances at the finish and Elliott soloed to the win.  Van Guilder toughed it out with the rear flat for second and Bruno-Roy hung on for 3rd on the day.  Elliott’s win was the 3rd in the 4 races in the series to date and gives her a solid lead going into next week’s races in Providence, Rhode Island

The men would put on an equally good show, as after the hole shot a group of 3 got away, containing hometown hero Tim Johnson (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com), his teammate Jeremy Powers, and yesterday’s winner Jonathan Page (Planet Bike).  Page was being aggressive early because he knew he was outmanned 2 to 1.  But once Jamey Driscoll bridged up, it was 3-on-1 .  Page tried to take chances to get away, but a miscue halfway through the race gave Johnson the green light to attack the group, knowing that his teammates Powers and Driscoll would not counter.  Johnson steadily pulled away while a frustrated Page tried to bridge up.  But the Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld duo stuck with Page, and Johnson was gone for good.  Page had some consolation as he took the sprint for 2nd, with Powers rounding out the podium.  Dan Timmerman (Richard Sachs/RGM Watches/Radix) showed the crowd that he had the goods to play with the elites of the sport, and his 7th place finish wiped out the bad vibes from a sound beating on Saturday and allowed Timmerman to hold on to his series lead going into next week’s races. 

The Masters 35+ race was a contest today, unlike yesterday when Jonny Bold (Corner Cycles) got away.  This time it was a foresome; Bold, his teammate Kevin Hines, Mark McCormack (Team Fuji), and series leader Roger Aspholm (Westwood Velo).  Today drier and faster conditions kept the group together until Hines put in a big move that split him away from the front and left the rest to fend for 2nd and 3rd.  With Bold content to sit on with his teammate up the road, Hines stayed away for the win and took the leader’s jersey away from Aspholm, who finished 3rd to McCormack’s 2nd. 
 
The Juniors 15-18 race saw some heat finally put on series leader Evan McNeely (EMD Sorono/Specialized), who initially shook off his foes but Jeffrey Bahnson (Thule/Van Dessel) would finally give the Ontario native a serious challenge for the win.  Bahnson bridged the initial gap and then passed McNeely to give the Ontario rider his first loss of the NECCS campaign.  Behind the 2, a big-time duel ensured for 3rd place, which was won by Jesse Keough (Corner Cycles) in a 4-up finish.

The New England Cross-toberfest concludes next weekend with the Providence Cyclo-Cross Festival in Providence, Rhode Island; 2 days of championship racing that concludes the 4-day Interbike East Trade Show to be held on the grounds of the 2005 and 2006 national championships, Roger Williams Park in Providence, Rhode Island. 

The Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series will be contested over 7 weekends in 2009, starting with the New England Cross-toberfest of Cycling:  3 straights weekends of UCI calendar racing to be held in Williston VT, Gloucester MA, and Providence RI.  After a weekend of much needed rest, the series will continue with stops in New Gloucester ME on Oct 24, Northampton MA on Nov 7, Sterling MA on Nov 28, and the series finale in Warwick RI on Dec 5.  This year series is generously supported 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 BikeReg.com, the official online registration service of the NECCS; by Paul Weiss Photo/Video, the official photographer of the NECCS, by October Handmade Bicycles, and by Ryders Eyewear.  You can visit these sponsors and get more information on the series by going to the web at http://www.cycle-smart.com/neccs.

2009 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Schedule:

• Green Mountain Cyclo-Cross Weekend – September 26th and 27th – Williston, Vermont
• Great Brewers Grand Prix of Gloucester – October 3rd and 4th – Gloucester, Massachusetts
• Providence Cyclo-Cross Festival – October 10th and 11th – Providence, Rhode Island
• Downeast Cyclo-Cross – October 24th and 25th – New Gloucester, Maine
• The Cycle-Smart International – November 7th and 8th – Northampton, Massachusetts
• Bay State Cyclo-Cross – November 28th and 29th – Sterling, Massachusetts
• NBX Grand Prix – December 5th and 6th – Warwick, Rhode Island