THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING
2002 U.S. cyclo-cross preview: 'Cross buffet
For the first time in seven years, U.S. cyclo-crossers will not havea national SuperCup series to target. Whether it was the original eight-racecontest in 1996 held under the auspices of USA Cycling, or the abbreviatedthree-race, east-of-the-Rockies schedule run last year by the Kiron Group,the SuperCup has been the only game in town when it came to a nationalseries.And now, for lack of sponsorship, it’s gone.But don’t fret, fans and racers. With a whopping 18 UCI races scheduledin the United States, there promises to be as much high level racing asever. And beyond that, a sport that once was confined to four hotbeds —Seattle, Northern California, Colorado and New England — has gone nationwide,with strong series having dug in their roots in the Midwest and the Southand up and down both coasts.The widespread, and far-flung, calendar does come at a price, though.While in the past the SuperCup was like a five-course meal, bringing togetherthe best of the best, the scene this year might be more like ordering fromthe a la carte menu. Racers will pick and choose more carefully the racesthat best meet their needs in terms of travel budget, sponsor exposureand training needs.This year, we can’t say for sure when U.S. national champion ToddWells will try to match skills with the likes of Jonny Sundt, Tim Johnson or Dale Knapp. Or when we’ll see if last year's revelation, Lyne Bessette, canhold her own against perennial U.S. champion Alison Dunlap. Or who will knock whom down, and when.It’s a question even the top racers and teams are trying to figure outas they plot out a plan of attack that could take them from the PacificNorthwest to New England and back more than once.For some, like the ’cross-hungry Mongoose-Hyundai duo of Marc Gullickson,last year’s SuperCup champion, and national champion Wells, it’s an easyquestion to answer.“We’re going to do all the UCI races,” said Gullickson, the series championof a series that no longer exists.For Gullickson, that could mean an extended stay on the East Coast (seeU.S. events, below) in October, followed by a stay back home in Boulderand visits to Ohio, Utah, Washington and Oregon.“I want to support the promoters doing UCI races,” he said. “Plus, there’sdecent prize money, and I can get world ranking points.”For others, the season scheduling isn’t so simple. “We’re trying tofigure out if we’re gonna travel early,” said Mark Peterson, manager ofthe Kona team that boasts Ann Grande, Dale Knapp, Bart Bowen, Eric Tonkin,Barry Wicks and highly touted newcomer Jeannette Newsbaum. “We’ll be limitingour trips to the East Coast this year — we had to do too many of them lastyear.”With a good portion of the UCI races west of the Mississippi, includingthe three race Redline Cup of Cross (Olympia, Washington; Salt Lake City,and Napa, California), Peterson feels that a heavy travel schedule isn’ta necessary evil.“While the East Coast definitely has some of the top riders, the PacificNorthwest, California and Colorado has the same share,” he said. “It’sunfortunate that you’ll see [Jonathan] Page, the McCormack brothers andTim Johnson on the East Coast, but to the credit of Redline, kudos forstepping up and doing something on the West Coast.”One of those high-profile Northwest riders, K2’s Jonny Sundt, acknowledgedthat this season presents a big juggling act. “You have to balance yourego versus your travel budget versus your sponsor’s needs versus your trainingand what you’re aiming for,” he said. “For me, the biggest thing is jugglingthe travel budget versus the ego.”Sundt’s “ego” concern focuses on what would be called “quality wins”in college basketball’s NCAA Tournament selection. “It concerns me because[the schedule] may dilute the competition a little bit,” he said. “I don’twant a win to have an asterisk by it because certain riders weren’t there.”That’s a concern that riders will have to live with, though, as someriders travel, and others don’t. “November is going to be kind of quietfor me. I need to relax a little sometime,” said Saturn’s Johnson. “I’llleave Ohio and the races in Seattle to Gully and Wells.”Johnson won’t be alone among East Coast-based riders staying home, andthat could lead to another complication: Some riders will rack up the UCIpoints simply because they’re traveling to more races than other riders,and that could complicate things like world’s team selection.“It would be great if [USA Cycling] could announce certain selectionraces,” said Kona’s Peterson. “My fear is racers chasing points, and thatwe end up with someone with the most points who’s not necessarily the strongest rider.”However, despite the potential pitfalls of a season without a nationalseries, most people agree that having 18 UCI races to choose from easesthe blow.“It’s a great problem to have, to have to pick and choose races,” said Sundt.And hopefully, the best will go against the best, more often than not.
Cyclo-cross coast to coastYour season guide to the nation’s biggest ’cross events
compiled by Neal RogersFor every door that closes, it is said, a new door opens. In regardsto national UCI-sanctioned ’cross races, that cliché has proventrue. Given the absence of the SuperCup series, regional race promotershave stepped up to offer domestic racers a record number of UCI eventsfor the 2002-03 season. Between October 6 and December 15, there will be18 opportunities for ’cross racers to win considerable prize money whileearning important UCI points, determining their start-line position atworld’s. While there are more Category 3 races, the Category 2 races offera bit more prestige, in both total purse and UCI placements. To keep itstraight, we've compiled a list of every UCI ’cross race the U.S.have tooffer. See ya in the mud.Downeast Cyclo-cross
October 6
Auburn, Maine
Category 2 men’s elite
Tom Stevens, 207/284-7459 John Grenier, 207/784-7576,
jrgbike@aol.com www.rainbowbike.comTHE DIRT
Round 1 of the Verge New England Cyclo-cross Championship Series, theDowneast Cyclo-cross race, was won by Jonny Sundt in its inaugural racelast year. The Lost Valley ski area course was designed by ’cross pioneerTom Stevens, founder of the New England series and designer of numerouscourses for cyclo-cross nationals. The Auburn course is infamous for the“headwall” section, a brutal run-up. “It’s a pretty difficult course earlyin the season,” claims promoter John Grenier. “I believe it’s an honestcourse. I think a lot of riders will be in for a rude awakening.” Expectgood weather, a fast, dry course, and large crowds, as the ski resort willbe holding its fall festival over race weekend.
Central Mass Cyclo-cross to End Homelessness
October 12
Worcester, Massachusetts
Category 3 men’s elite
Adam Hodges Myerson, 413/587-3133
adam@cycle-smart.com www.cycle-smart.comTHE DIRT
Although this event is organized by Verge Series director Adam Myerson,it’s not part of the Verge Series. This first-year race is a fundraiserfor the local People in Peril (PIP) homeless shelter. “It’s nice to dosome cause-related marketing,” said Myerson, “as opposed to all the corporatemarketing I usually do, trying to sell a product in order to put on a ’crossrace.”
ECV Cyclo-Cross
October 13
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Category 2 men’s elite
Essex County Velo
Paul Boudreau, 978/744-0248
paul@ecvcycling.org www.ecvcycling.orgTHE DIRT
The ECV race is round 2 of the Verge Series and now in its fourth year.The site of SuperCups past, Stage Fort Park’s grassy fields staged a duelbetween 2000 world champion Erwin Vervecken and hometown hero Tim Johnson.“We've always had a high caliber of racers show up, and this year we expectTim Johnson, Lyne Bessette, Mark McCormack and Marc Gullickson,” says promoterPaul Boudreau. “We expect that we'll see the usual West Coast people aswell — Jonny Sundt, Dale Knapp and Anne Grande have been coming out thelast few years.” If racers finding themselves intimidated by such a highcaliber of racers, they can just follow the race flyer’s suggestion: “Ifyou’re off the back, enjoy the stunning ocean views!”
Cannondale Portland International
October 19
Portland, Oregon
Category 3 men’s elite, U23, junior, women’s elite
Brad Ross, 503/246-7338
Brian Witty, 503/750-7688
bradross@prodigy.net www.crosscrusade.comTHE DIRT
Round three of Portland’s eight-race ’Cross Crusade series is in itsfirst year as a UCI race. Various incarnations of this race have been heldat Portland’s International Auto Raceway for the past decade, but the courseriders will see this year was used for the first time just last year. Portland’Cross Crusade promoter Brian Witty paints the course as, “flat, but notas flat as the Chicago SuperCup course. There are a few rises, and somefast running sections. It’s a pretty fast course.”
Wooden Wheels Cyclo-cross at Granogue
October 19
Granogue Estate, Delaware
Category 3 men’s elite, junior, women’s elite
Marc Vettori
marc@brevoort.com www.monkeyhillcs.com/mac/THE DIRT
Wooden Wheels in its first year as a UCI event, and it’s the thirdrace in the 10-race Mid-Atlantic Cyclo-cross (MAC) series. The venue forthe Granogue race may be the most unusual on this year’s American cyclo-crossschedule. The course is on the grounds of an estate belonging IrénéeDuPont. Yeah, of that DuPont.“We’re really, really lucky,” says promoter Marc Vettori. “The guy isfantastic. We have a mountain-bike race there once a year, and he comesrolling out in his Model T.” In traditional northern Delaware fashion,the lay of the land is somewhat rolling, with more climbing than a typicalcourse — expect 8-minute laps. No word yet on the post race champagne.
Monkey Hill Cyclo-cross
October 20
Brandywine Park, Wilmington, Delaware
Category 3 men’s elite, U23, junior, women’s elite
Andrew Albright, 215/514-3132
monkeyhillcs@aol.com www.monkeyhillcs.com/mac/THE DIRT
First run in 1997 and elevated to UCI status in 1999, race promoterAndrew Albright and Monkey Hill’s non-profit gang have ridden the waveof ’cross popularity, and can proudly claim their event as the longestcontinuous UCI ‘cross race in the U.S. Adjacent to downtown Wilmington,the steep, cobbled Monkey Hill climb is sure to bring religion to first-timers.“People complain that it’s too tough,” promoter Andrew Albright explains.“Sections are off-camber, it’s hilly, but it’s a really nice urban course.It’s very well manicured. It’s actually surprising they let us race there.”Look for Tim Johnson to avenge his disappointment after flatting here lastyear.
Redline Cup of Cross #1
October 20
Wright Park, Tacoma, Washington
Category 3 men’s elite, U23, junior, women’s elite
Jim Brown, 360/556-4258
gork@redlinebicycles.com www.redlinebicycles.com www.radracingnw.orgTHE DIRT
Situated in the heart of Tacoma, the Redline Cup kicks off with a fastcourse through Wright Park. Laced with walking and jogging paths and acollection of more than 100 species of trees from around the world, thepark’s race course is advertised as “70 percent trails, 30 percent grass.”
The Amherst International
October 27
University of Massachusetts Campus, Amherst, Massachusetts
Category 2 men’s elite
Adam Hodges Myerson, 413/587-3133
adam@cycle-smart.com www.cycle-smart.comTHE DIRT
The International is round 3 of the Verge New England Cyclo-cross ChampionshipSeries. After competing in the race as a UMass freshman in 1990, VergeSeries director Adam Myserson has put on the race every year since.“There’s been some type of off-road race at this venue for nearly 25 years,” Myerson says. “It used to be on old equestrian trails, but nowadays it’s more of a campus event. It’s gone from one of the biggest New England races to one of the biggest in the country.”
Lancaster Cyclo-cross
November 2
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Category 3 men’s elite, women’s elite
Bill Laudien, 717/397-4769
laudien@monkeyhillcs.com www.monkeyhillcs.comTHE DIRT
The Lancaster event is in its second year and is centrally locatedbetween Philadelphia, Baltimore/D.C., and New York City. Last year’s eventwas won last year by ’cross super-couple Lyne Bessette and Tim Johnson.As this issue went to press, the final details of the course were stillbeing hammered out. Last year’s sponsors bailed out and according to promoter Bill Laudien, “It looks as if local developer Bill Murray, of Murray Developers & Murray Insurance, is going to pick up the ball and sponsor the event.”Laudien said if that happens, they’ll have an unusual and fantastic setting.“The venue will switch to a golf course that Murray owns,” he adds. “The clubhouse has an elevated bar and deck that overlooks the 18th hole. The proposed course utilizes the perimeter of the 18th hole and some adjacent land, 80 percent of which can be viewed from the raise bar and deck. With the bar outfitted with a sound system, tables, shelter, and of course beer, this set up can make for a terrific venue.”
Granville Grand Prix of ‘Cross
November 17
Granville, Ohio
Category 3 men’s elite, women’s elite
Tym Tyler, 614/563.3434
tymtylee@teamcolumbus.org www.teamcolumbus.orgTHE DIRT
This second-year race will be the only UCI event in the Midwest thisseason. The 1.2-mile course circumnavigates a community lake, beginningand ending with a surfaced asphalt start/finish that dumps off into a grassypark. Team Columbus promoter Tym Tyler describes the course, in a word,as “fast.” “There are a lot of criterium elements to his course,” Tyler explains. “We had long lines of people drafting last year.”One tough run-up through a wooded section should thin out the bottlenecks, and the fast descent back into the park should keep the speed high throughout.
Redline Cup of 'Cross #2
November 23
Soldier Hollow, Midway, Utah
Category 3 men's elite, U23, junior, women's elite
Thomas Cooke, 435/649-5663
x-men@burgoyne.com
gork@redlinebicycles.comwww.utahcyclocross.comTHE DIRT
Soldier Hollow, or "SoHo," to the locals, was the venue for the 2002Olympic Nordic ski racing events. A few years ago, a course was laid outfor a local race and a downpour turned everything to slop. "We have theadvantage of knowing worst-case scenario,” said event promoter Thomas Cooke.“We know what sections not to depend on. There's a lot of clay, and ifit rains again there could potentially be a lot of sticky, gritty mud."What Cooke can promise is a tough race. “We want to see a UCI-caliber race with tactics, with guys going for half-way primes. We want to design as fast a course as possible."
Chainbiter 4.0
November 24
Farmington, Connecticut
Category 3 men’s elite
Jan Bolland, 860/693-9083
jannyba@aol.com www.easternbloc.netTHE DIRT
Round 4 of the Verge New England Cyclo-cross Championship Series makesits debut this year as a UCI event. A former ’cross national champion,race organizer Jan Bolland knows what a world-class venue should offer.“It’s been my goal since we had the first Chainbiter to become part ofthe SuperCup, or the New England series,” Bolland says. “The course thisyear will be challenging, with some real high-speed dismounts and a coupleof steep run-ups. At that time of the year people need to be prepared forrunning. We wanted this course to be the best preparation for a national,or world’s, course.”
REI Metro Cup
November 30
Tacoma, Washington
Category 3 men’s elite, junior, women’s elite
Craig Undem, 206-938-1091
grundem@msn.com www.marymoorvelodrome.org/cyclocrossTHE DIRT
Can you say "road race?" While in past years the Steilacoom Park coursehas become infamous for its long, sandy run-up section, this year coursedesigner Patrick Bentson has revamped the route into what he describesas a “very, very fast” course, with 50 percent gravel trails, 20 percentgrass, and 30 percent pavement.
W.E. Stedman Grand Prix of Cyclo-cross
December 1
South Kingstown, Rhode Island
Category 3 men’s elite
Joel Brown, 401/783-9399
mjmgbrown@aol.com www.paveproductions.comTHE DIRT
Round 5 of the Verge Series is in its second year as part of the NewEngland series and first year as a UCI race. Held in the coastal town ofSouth Kingstown, the course utilizes an athletic complex between two schools,winding through service roads and dirt paths. “I would categorize the courseas a true ’cross course,” says race promoter Joel Brown. “Maybe a bit fasterthan they’ve traditionally been.There’s a fair amount of asphalt, a fairamount of grass, and reasonably undulating terrain.” Following the UCI’scourse guidelines, there is nothing resembling single track. Although therace date is shared with a UCI race on the West Coast, Brown expects topsee most of the big names from New England ’cross circles.“I imagine there’ll be some riders digging around for UCI points,” says Brown. “And the race date being two weeks before nationals is ideal.”
Saturn Stumptown Cyclo-cross Classic
December 1
Old Jackson High School, Portland, Oregon
Category 3 men’s elite, U23, junior, women’s elite
Brad Ross, 503/246-7338
bradross@prodigy.net www.crosscrusade.comTHE DIRT
This first year race doubles as the finale for Portland’s ’Cross Crusadeseries. CC’s Whitty describes the course as “similar to last year’s nationals course in Baltimore, as far as rise from one end to the other. It’s set in kind of a natural bowl, and the course rises in and out, with some short, steep run-ups on the grass. ”
American Express Financial Advisors Cyclo-Cross
December 8
Wasserman Park, Merrimack, New Hampshire
Category 3 men’s elite
Tim Lucia, 603/345-8860
aefacx@yahoo.com timlucia@yahoo.com www.northeastbicycleclub.orgTHE DIRT
Round 6 of the Verge New England Cyclo-cross Championship Series isin its first year as UCI race. Held at Wasserman Park, on the shore ofNaticook Lake in Merrimack, New Hampshire, race promoter Tim Lucia describes the course: “The course weaves its way around the surrounding hillside, resulting in lots of off-camber sections, as well as a fair amount of climbing.”
Redline Cup of ‘Cross #3 (Finals)
December 8
Napa, California
Category 3 men’s elite, junior, women’s elite
Dave Carr, 707/287-3747
davidlcarr@aol.comwww.redlinebicycles.comTHE DIRT
As this issue went to press, promoter Dave Carr was awaiting the permitsto hold the race at Napa Valley Community College. While Napa Valley Velohas been running regional ’cross races for 4 years, the opportunity tobecome part of the Redline Cup has brought them into the mixed world ofhigh profile racing saddled with UCI regulations. With the course stillin process, what Carr could guarantee about the first year venue is apretty good variety of surfaces— gravel, hard pack, pavement, run-ups,a small bit of grass. Less than a week before nationals and the RedlineCup final, look for the Napa race to draw the best of the West.
USCF Cyclo-cross National Championships
December 14-15
Domaine Chandon, Napa, California
Men’s elite, U23, junior, women’s elite
GaleForce hotline, 530/661-9500
info@galeforce.org www.galeforce.orgTHE DIRT
A former host of UCI World Cup mountain-bike races, Domaine Chandonwill host this year’s U.S. cyclo-cross nationals, doubling as a UCI event.The course will be much shorter than a World Cup course, confined in andaround the vineyard rows and Visitors Center, says event promoter RickSutton. It won’t be as short or tight as the Presidio course [site ofthe 1999 U.S. nationals]. We’ll throw something out there that would appeasethe spectator friendly elements at Presidio, but lengthen the course andadd some speed to bring it to five- to six minutes [per lap]. Our intentionis to create a figure-8 course with a flyover.
