Elite men’s podium (L to R): Luke Keough, Justin Lindine, Dylan McNicholas(Image credit: Dave Chiu)
Winner’s pie!(Image credit: Dave Chiu)
(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
After a one-year hiatus imposed by the UCI, the Verge New England Cyclo-cross Series will return to the USA calendar, bringing to three the number of professional 'cross series in North America.
The six-race NECX series joins the eight-race US Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross and the eight-race Shimano New England Pro Cyclocross Series in obtaining the official UCI series designation.
The NECX organisers found out late in 2010 that they had fallen afoul of a UCI regulation which required any series to obtain certification from the sport's governing body, and were given a one-year suspension from running the races as a series. The races were run in 2011 as stand-alone UCI events.
This year's series begins on September 15-16 with the Green Mountain Cyclo-cross Weekend at the Catamount Outdoor Family Center in Williston, Vermont.
The next two races take place in New Gloucester, Maine at the Downeast Cyclo-cross on October 20-21, and the closing weekend will again be in Sterline, Massachusetts for the Bay State Cyclo-cross.
The opening weekend is expected to attract a strong field, including Frenchman Nicolas Bazin, who this weekend won both of the Rohrbach Ellison 'cross races in Rochester, New York. Ted King of Liquigas-Cannondale is slated to do his annual dabble in the off-road side of the sport, while former US champions Tim Johnson, and Jonathan Page will battle for victory.
The Verge series will also hold amateur races with series points in 10 categories.
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