Bessette, McCormack lead Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series

As the wet days of another New England October drip away, Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau) and Mark McCormack (Team Clif Bar) lead the series standings in 2005 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series presented by Cycle-Smart in the Elite Women’s and Men’s races, respectively. Bessette and McCormack won their respective races in the flooded mud bogs of the 2005 Downeast Cyclo-Cross in New Gloucester, Maine, October 15th and will hit the heart of the Verge NECCS races with a good head of steam.

Bessette has been the uncontested queen of North American cyclo-cross thus far in 2005, marking her return to the ‘cross circuit with a string of impressive wins. For his part, four-time defending Verge NECCS champion McCormack has held his fine form from the road season into the fall. However, McCormack figures to face a serious challenge through the remaining five Verge NECCS races from Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau), whose rapid grab at UCI points will see the 2001 National Champion lining up on the front of the start grid for the rest of the season. Defending Under-23 series and national champion, Jesse Anthony (Team Clif Bar), continues to go from strength to strength. His regular position in the top-five in the Elite Men’s race could cement him another series title.