Farmington, Northampton Host Verge NECCS Double

As the season’s temperatures hover near freezing through fall’s ever shortening days, the Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series, presented by Cycle-Smart, enters the heart of its ultra-competitive schedule. In the first of the Series’ two “double dip weekends” the Verge NECCS makes stops in Farmington, Conn. and Northampton, Mass. November 12-13.Saturday’s Chainbiter 7.0 at Farmington’s Winding Trails Park offers one of the most challenging courses in the Verge NECCS. With a combination of wooded trails, open fields, paved sections, several small climbs and dips, and one massive sand pit the Chainbiter never fails to sort out the strong riders. Last year’s race went off under a blanket of snow that quickly turned the races into mud baths, the only muddy race of the 2004 NECCS.

One of the national ‘cross circuit’s “must attend” events, Sunday’s 15th Annual Cycle-Smart International will draw tremendous fields to Northampton’s Look Park. With a fast and technical course that rewards a combination of brute strength and a deft technical touch, the Cycle-Smart International re-creates the Euro ‘cross experience in Western Massachusetts. This year’s edition will see the ’05 major race debut of former national champion Todd Wells (GT-Hyundai). Wells will face a crew of on-form Elite Men in Look Park, including Verge NECCS leader Mark McCormack (Team Clif Bar), Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau), Jesse Anthony (Team Clif Bar), Barry Wicks (Kona), Erik Tonkin (Kona), Matt White (Fior di Frutta), Mike Cody (Fior di Frutta), and his own brother, Troy (TIAA-CREF-Clif Bar). Elite Women’s NECCS leader Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau) will be looking to keep her winning streak going in Farmington and Northampton. The newly minted Canadian National Champion brings a 10-race win streak coming into the weekend and has yet to face a serious challenge so far in 2005.

Going into the Farmington/Northampton double dip Verge NECCS leaders are as follows: Elite Men, Mark McCormack (Team Clif Bar); Elite Women, Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau); Under-23 Men, Jesse Anthony (Team Clif Bar); Masters 35+, Jonny Bold (Corner Cycle); Masters 45+, Chris Long (Independent Fabrication-Gotham); Junior Men, Jerome Townsend (Bicycle Alley); B Men, Pascal Bussibres (Abbrsuz LAGoeLiche); Cub Juniors, Jared Reuta (44Velo); Masters 55+, Phil Bannister (Putney-West Hill).

The 2005 Verge NECCS is sponsored by Verge Sport, makers of quality cycling apparel, and specializing in custom clothing orders; Cycle-Smart: Solutions for Cycling, personalized coaching for all cycling disciplines: Greyhound Juice, warming salves and skin care products for all athletes; Felt Bicycles, builders of the best bicycles in the world: BikeReg.com, the solution for all of your online registration needs for cycling events; and Litmus Designs, integrating web technology and graphic design solutions for your business needs.

Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series
October 15 - Downeast Cyclo-Cross, New Gloucester, Maine
November 12 - ChainBiter 7.0 Cyclo-Cross, Farmington, Conn.
November 13 - Cycle-Smart International Cyclo-Cross, Northampton, Mass.
November 26 - Gearworks Bay State Cyclo-Cross, Sterling, Mass.
December 3 - W. E. Stedman Co. Grand Prix of Cyclo-Cross, S. Kingstown, R.I.
December 4 - Castor's Grand Prix, Warwick, R.I.

For more information on the 2005 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series please go to www.necyclocross.com.