'Cross Nationals a Smashing Success
From www.ridezine.com :: PROVIDENCE, R,I., Dec.16 - Despite a weekend beset with bitter weather, illness, injury and dangerous travel, the proud moments prevailed at the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships. Racers dispatched from around the nation arrived in Providence to compete against rivals with reputations for excellence. Wunderkind Alex Coelho of Loveland, Colo. easily collected the stars-and-stripes jersey for the junior men 15-16 category while Arielle Filiberti of Worcester, Mass. edged out race favorite Stephanie White for first place in the junior women 17-18 category. Reporting to the start line all the way from Ronald, Wash. Dan Norton claimed a valiant victory in the master men 55-59 after a crash in the final lap left him with two dislocated fingers. At last check Norton was in search of a way to remove his wedding ring from his swollen finger.
Draw back the curtain on this year's cyclo-cross nationals and the militia of staff, volunteers, vendors and supporters, who were onsite before dawn to do everything from clear the course of snow and ice to marshal races throughout the day, would have made Chairman Mao blush.
"There were a lot of heroics on the bikes worth noting, but what most impressed me was the turnout of volunteers after the storm on Friday," said Richard Fries, communications director. "We had a 3,200-meter course covered with eight inches of wet snow. Our announcer, Joel Brown, himself on crutches after a mishap in the masters race, worked the phone and got four Rhode Island clubs to respond like Minutemen. When we arrived Saturday morning at 4:30 a.m., the snow was all ready flying. If people did not have shovels they used coroplast signs. At 8 a.m. the sound came on, the grills were lit, the tents were heated, and we had a course worthy of the world championships."
For those who watched the massive expo tents on Friday inhale and exhale enormous gusts of wind without taking flight, a kinder, gentler Mother Nature rewarded fans and racers with two made-for-'cross days on Saturday and Sunday.
Weary yet charged promoters of the first ever Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships have already commenced plans for next year's national championships scheduled to take place December 15-17, 2006. Keep watch over www.cyclocrossnationals.com for more information as it develops.
Thanks for the most successful national cyclo-cross championship to date. See you next season!
Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships by the numbers
This year's national championship event saw unprecedented growth in cyclo-cross. The sport's surge in numbers could be credited to how accessible races are and how conveniently a training schedule can fit into a busy person's life. Or maybe it's that cyclo-cross answers to a primeval desire to find the sweet spot between power and pain.
"We used to be able to put on cyclo-cross nationals in a schoolyard over a weekend because there used to only be 300-400 entrants," said Justin Rogers, national events director for USA Cycling. "Given how much it's grown, we just can't do that anymore."
2005 saw 1,700 entrants in 30 categories. That represents a 41 percent growth over 2004's previous record of 1,200 entrants.
There's more...
2,500 people from around the world tuned in to Saturday's live broadcast of the elite men's race on cyclocrossnationals.com The hour+ program, produced by Adventure Sports Radio, brought listeners to the heart of the action live from the mainstage.
What they said...
About the event:
Liberty Mutual
"This event has given us some great exposure; we're supporting a great event and organization. People from around the country are here; we've met people from San Francisco and Colorado. It's a growing sport and something we'll probably want to be affiliated with."
"A lot of the racers have come by and thanked Liberty Mutual for their sponsorship said 'this was one of the best races and events they've been to' and we are just very privileged to be able to sponsor this."
-George Ihle, District Sales Manager for Liberty Mutual in Providence
Specialized
About the weather:
"I am relatively new to cyclo-cross so for me it's been an exciting event and it's good for us to get out on the East Coast and experience some real weather!"
"I think the course layout is fantastic--it's the perfect spectator-friendly location. You can watch the race from a lot of different angles right from the center. The expo tent and being in the center of it all has been good for us. We've been pretty pleased other than the first day of mud, sleet, snow and rain but that made it perfect for the culture of cyclo-cross."
-Heather Lynch, US Marketing Manager for Specialized
Tim Johnson
About the Liberty Cup:
"I had a great race, I thought it was a great way to end the season. For Todd and I and Adam, this was our last 'cross race of the year. Everybody that did the race has to thank Providence for having us and Liberty Mutual for putting on the race. I mean to have almost 2,000 racers freezing our asses off for a weekend, it's been a great weekend."
-Tim Johnson, 2nd in the inaugural Liberty Cup
"It was perfect, I mean this is an old, time-honored tradition from the old SuperCup days. There was always a SuperCup the day after Nationals so it's awesome to have. You race the Nationals--everyone is super focused and on it--and then today, you know, we're all riding around together, discussing the rules of the race, which Tim didn't obey 'cause he beat me...one of the rules was that Tim wasn't allowed to beat me! That was a rule!"
-Adam Craig, 3rd in the inaugural Liberty Cup
TJ on beating AC
"I had no gloves, I started second row--I gave him a headstart in the beginning. I did far more than was necessary." -TJ
Only A Game to broadcast the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships starting Saturday, Dec. 17
'Tis the season to be jolly...especially if your school is raking in the big bowl bucks. This week on Only A Game, a visit from the spirits of bowl games past and present. Also, the Cyclocross National Championships, and Only A Game's 13th Annual Holiday Gift Guide!
Check your local NPR station for program times or visit www.onlyagame.org for station listings.
Draw back the curtain on this year's cyclo-cross nationals and the militia of staff, volunteers, vendors and supporters, who were onsite before dawn to do everything from clear the course of snow and ice to marshal races throughout the day, would have made Chairman Mao blush.
"There were a lot of heroics on the bikes worth noting, but what most impressed me was the turnout of volunteers after the storm on Friday," said Richard Fries, communications director. "We had a 3,200-meter course covered with eight inches of wet snow. Our announcer, Joel Brown, himself on crutches after a mishap in the masters race, worked the phone and got four Rhode Island clubs to respond like Minutemen. When we arrived Saturday morning at 4:30 a.m., the snow was all ready flying. If people did not have shovels they used coroplast signs. At 8 a.m. the sound came on, the grills were lit, the tents were heated, and we had a course worthy of the world championships."
For those who watched the massive expo tents on Friday inhale and exhale enormous gusts of wind without taking flight, a kinder, gentler Mother Nature rewarded fans and racers with two made-for-'cross days on Saturday and Sunday.
Weary yet charged promoters of the first ever Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships have already commenced plans for next year's national championships scheduled to take place December 15-17, 2006. Keep watch over www.cyclocrossnationals.com for more information as it develops.
Thanks for the most successful national cyclo-cross championship to date. See you next season!
Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships by the numbers
This year's national championship event saw unprecedented growth in cyclo-cross. The sport's surge in numbers could be credited to how accessible races are and how conveniently a training schedule can fit into a busy person's life. Or maybe it's that cyclo-cross answers to a primeval desire to find the sweet spot between power and pain.
"We used to be able to put on cyclo-cross nationals in a schoolyard over a weekend because there used to only be 300-400 entrants," said Justin Rogers, national events director for USA Cycling. "Given how much it's grown, we just can't do that anymore."
2005 saw 1,700 entrants in 30 categories. That represents a 41 percent growth over 2004's previous record of 1,200 entrants.
There's more...
2,500 people from around the world tuned in to Saturday's live broadcast of the elite men's race on cyclocrossnationals.com The hour+ program, produced by Adventure Sports Radio, brought listeners to the heart of the action live from the mainstage.
What they said...
About the event:
Liberty Mutual
"This event has given us some great exposure; we're supporting a great event and organization. People from around the country are here; we've met people from San Francisco and Colorado. It's a growing sport and something we'll probably want to be affiliated with."
"A lot of the racers have come by and thanked Liberty Mutual for their sponsorship said 'this was one of the best races and events they've been to' and we are just very privileged to be able to sponsor this."
-George Ihle, District Sales Manager for Liberty Mutual in Providence
Specialized
About the weather:
"I am relatively new to cyclo-cross so for me it's been an exciting event and it's good for us to get out on the East Coast and experience some real weather!"
"I think the course layout is fantastic--it's the perfect spectator-friendly location. You can watch the race from a lot of different angles right from the center. The expo tent and being in the center of it all has been good for us. We've been pretty pleased other than the first day of mud, sleet, snow and rain but that made it perfect for the culture of cyclo-cross."
-Heather Lynch, US Marketing Manager for Specialized
Tim Johnson
About the Liberty Cup:
"I had a great race, I thought it was a great way to end the season. For Todd and I and Adam, this was our last 'cross race of the year. Everybody that did the race has to thank Providence for having us and Liberty Mutual for putting on the race. I mean to have almost 2,000 racers freezing our asses off for a weekend, it's been a great weekend."
-Tim Johnson, 2nd in the inaugural Liberty Cup
"It was perfect, I mean this is an old, time-honored tradition from the old SuperCup days. There was always a SuperCup the day after Nationals so it's awesome to have. You race the Nationals--everyone is super focused and on it--and then today, you know, we're all riding around together, discussing the rules of the race, which Tim didn't obey 'cause he beat me...one of the rules was that Tim wasn't allowed to beat me! That was a rule!"
-Adam Craig, 3rd in the inaugural Liberty Cup
TJ on beating AC
"I had no gloves, I started second row--I gave him a headstart in the beginning. I did far more than was necessary." -TJ
Only A Game to broadcast the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships starting Saturday, Dec. 17
'Tis the season to be jolly...especially if your school is raking in the big bowl bucks. This week on Only A Game, a visit from the spirits of bowl games past and present. Also, the Cyclocross National Championships, and Only A Game's 13th Annual Holiday Gift Guide!
Check your local NPR station for program times or visit www.onlyagame.org for station listings.
posted by Ryan Amirault at Tuesday, December 20, 2005
