Colleges in Eastern US vie for 'cross series

When round #5 of the Verge Mid-Atlantic cyclo-cross series comes to Jamesburg, New Jersey, on Sunday, collegiate racers will join the ranks of elite riders in events held that day.

The Jamesberg race is part of the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (ECCC) 'cross season, a 10-round series run in conjunction with the Verge NECCS races, MAC races, and a few select non-series events. The purpose of the series is to bring team-oriented collegiate racing to already-established cyclo-cross races in order to support the future growth of this cycling discipline. The ECCC is known for its many years of fielding strong road, mountain bike, and track teams at collegiate national events.

Going into this weekend, Rutgers has an almost 80 point lead over Division I rival Harvard University. Sunday's race will pit Rutgers against Ivy league riders from Princeton, Cornell, UPenn, and Columbia. Buoyed by its hometown advantage, Rutgers is expected to extend its lead in the conference series. The school earned its advantage with strong performances at other events so far this year including the opening round of the collegiate series at MAC #3 Beacon at Bridgeton, New Jersey, the Chainbiter 8.0 in Farmington, Connecticut, and the Nittany Lion 'Cross at the Lehigh Valley Campus of Penn State.