The start of the Subaru Cup, a WORS race. (Image credit: Dave and Lynne Senkerik)
The Wisconsin Off Road Series' annual mountain bike racing mega-event, the Subaru Cup, presented by Trek, will double not only as a stop on the US Pro XCT series, but also as the USA Cycling Midwest Regional Championships.
Held at Nordic Mountain, the race is expected to draw an international elite field to compete on the slopes of Mt. Morris in the legacy cross country race on Saturday afternoon and in the Wheaties Fuel short track on Sunday morning. The first-ever Midwest Regional Championships will feature categories for all ages and ability levels.
To be crowned "Fastest in the Midwest", competitors must hold an annual USA Cycling mountain bike license and reside in one of the Midwest States (Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota). The fastest racer in each USA Cycling age and racing category who meets these requirements will be awarded the special USA Cycling Midwest Regional Championship medal.
The course at Nordic Mountain offers racers and spectators a representative slice of Midwest mountain biking, with tight singletrack, fast descents and short, steep climbs. Much of the singletrack has been designed and built by WORS Series Director Don Edberg, and WORS Series racers describe the Subaru Cup as "a course to look forward to."
"[The Subaru Cup course offers] lots of climbing, great singletrack, and a couple of little rock gardens thrown in to spice things up", says Wisconsin MTB and cyclo-cross elite racer Mark Lalonde. "It is, by far, my favorite course of the entire WORS season."
Outstanding spectator turnout is a hallmark of events hosted by the Wisconsin Off Road Series, and the Subaru Cup drew over 800 spectators in 2009. Over an area of 60 acres, Nordic Mountain's singletrack winds in on itself several times to provide spectators convenient access and numerous viewing opportunities on each lap. From the all-new "spectator central", spectators at the 2010 Subaru Cup will be able to cheer for their favorite racers on multiple climbs and technical descents during every lap.
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.
