Verge NECCS grows for 2006
Following up on a nail-biting finish to its 2005 edition, the Verge New England Championship...
Following up on a nail-biting finish to its 2005 edition, the Verge New England Championship Cyclo-cross Series returns for 2006 with a beefed up and streamlined calendar. With the addition of another race the opening weekend in Maine, the Verge NECCS boasts seven races for 2006, including three double dip weekends, in which racers can get UCI classified races on consecutive days in near proximity to each other.
The 2006 Verge NECCS opens October 14-15 in New Gloucester, Maine with a pair of Downeast Cyclo-Cross events. With the biggest elevation variation of the Series the Downeast Pineland Farms course dishes out a rough combination of ups and downs, creating the most demanding lap on the Verge NECCS.
The second double dip weekend of the Verge NECCS kicks off November 4-5. Saturdays Chainbiter 8.0 in Farmington, Connecticut and Sundays 18th Annual Cycle- Smart International in Northampton, Massachusetts regularly draw racers from across the country for a pair of classic New England courses. Farmingtons Winding Trails Park course offers one of the most varied courses in the Verge NECCS, with a combination of wooded trails, open fields, paved sections, several small climbs and dips, and a massive sand pit. Northamptons Look Park features a Euro-style power course, wide-open high speed section funneling into tight slow speed turns and chicanes.
As the only solo race weekend of the 2006 Verge NECCS, and coming only a few days after Thanksgiving, the Bay State Cyclo-Cross in Sterling, Massachusetts, November 25, can often be overlooked. But the Sterling race is an ideal preparation for Decembers U.S. National Championships, with legendary course designer Tom Stevens laying out each track in a similar style. Racers who braved the snow at Sterling in 05 found the Nationals in Rhode Island much more manageable.
The 2006 Verge NECCS wraps up in the Ocean State December 9-10 with a double dip only miles away from the following weekends U.S. Nationals site. Saturdays W.E. Steadman Grand Prix in South Kingston and Sundays Casters Cyclo-Cross in Warwick couldnt be more different. While the Steadman GP offers open fields and plenty off big gear mashing, Casters Cross is a wooded, twisty, turny affair with two extended beach runs.
Verge NECCS winners will be crowned at the Series finals in Warwick with overall champions jerseys awarded for Elite Men, Elite Women, Under-23 Men, Masters 35+, Masters 45+, Junior Men, B Men, Cub Juniors, and Masters 55+.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*
Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets
After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59
Join now for unlimited access
Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1