US 'cross titles to be decided in Bend

USA Cycling announced this week that the Cyclo-cross National Championships will be hosted by the city of Bend, Oregon for the next two seasons. The 2009 race will be held December 10-13, and on December 9-12 in 2010.

The USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships were last held in the Pacific Northwest when Portland hosted the 2003 and 2004 editions. Since then, the annual event has been held in Providence, Rhode Island (2005-06) and Kansas City, Kansas (2007-08).

"Bend is a special place and our entire community is honored to host the cycling world for the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships," said Doug LaPlaca, president and CEO of Visit Bend and co-chair of the local organizing committee. "Anyone who has visited Bend understands the enormous enthusiasm and opportunity here – not just for cycling and cyclo-cross, but for sports and recreation in general."

Laura Weislo has been with Cyclingnews since 2006 after making a switch from a career in science. As Managing Editor, she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news. As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track, Laura has a passion for all three disciplines. When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads, paths and gravel tracks. Laura specialises in covering doping, anti-doping, UCI governance and performing data analysis.