Boston Beanpot sets records

The Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference 'Boston Beanpot' event became the largest single-conference collegiate bike race in the country this past weekend when more than 515 collegiate riders from 63 schools and two countries took part in the event. The Boston University Team Time Trial and the Harvard Road Race were held in Grafton, Massachusetts on Saturday, March 31.

Mark Abramson, the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference director, was pleased that the event went off without a hitch. "The Beanpot has a long standing tradition as one of the largest and most smoothly running bike races in the country. This year was no exception, and it serves as a prime example of what can be achieved by inter-school collaboration. This was, hands down, the best run Beanpot ever."

Beanpot director Caitlin Thompson joked that "The hardest part of the weekend was getting over 500 riders checked in before the 7am start of the TTT; there were over 150 riders that raced for the first time this season."

The University of New Hampshire claimed top honours overall with 718 points, reclaiming the historic Beanpot trophy from the University of Vermont who finished third with 564 points. Dartmouth came in second with 631 points, but was the first Division II school. MIT finished second in Division II, the best finish for the host schools.

The Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (ECCC) includes colleges in Delaware, New England, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. As they compete from early March through April, ECCC teams vie for the top of the season-long team points standings, Collegiate Nationals qualification team spots, and the Ivy League trophy. The inexpensive races feature team-oriented bicycle racing for all abilities with team pride, glory, and honour as the only prize list.

The full 2007 ECCC schedule and results can be found at www.eccc-info.com.