Three promoters bring over 50 years of organizing experience to series
Tad Elliott (Sho-Air / Specialized) races at the Massanutten HooHa! (Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
The US Cup's East Coast Triple Crown will include events in Alabama, North Carolina and Virginia in 2012. Racers can compete in a cross country, short track and super D during each of the weekends and do not have to attend all three events to be eligible for the overall.
The Triple Crown will kick off with the Bump N Grind at Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham, Alabama, on June 2-3. Next up will be the Massanutten Hoo Ha! near Harrisonburg, Virginia, on June 9-10. The series will wrap up with the Fontana Dam Jam at the Fontana Village Resort in North Carolina on August 4-5.
The typical weekend format will include a super D and short track on Saturday and a cross country on Sunday.
Categories for the overall Triple Crown will be kept simple with male and female winners awarded for juniors, amateurs and pros. The individual races, however, will still run all the usual categories. Each weekend of racing will award an overall champion, plus the results will be combined to tally up an overall East Coast Triple Crown champion.
"What is impressive is how much experience all of us promoters bring to the series," said George Willetts of the Massanutten Resort, which hosts the Massanutten Hoo Ha! "Between us, we have over 50 years of experience putting on mountain bike races. At Massanutten, we've put on races since 1989, and the Bergers have been promoting since 1993. The Bump and Grind is 17 years old."
Unlike in previous years, points for all three events - short track, super D and cross country - are expected to count equally toward the overall.
Sue George is an editor at Cyclingnews. She coordinates all of the site's mountain bike race coverage and assists with the road, 'cross and track coverage.
