Curtis White (Steve Tilford Foundation Racing) and Caroline Mani (Groove Auto Off Road Racing) lead a global subject of contenders this weekend within the opening spherical of the Trek US Cyclocross Series (USCX) at Virginia’s Blue Ridge GO Cross introduced by Fat Tire.
Both elite riders took high honours within the season-long ProCX calendar in 2023, which this 12 months is USA Cycling’s Cyclocross National Series. White is a two-time USCX champion, whereas Mani received the ladies’s total in 2022 and completed second final 12 months, incomes high prizes from the $15,000 prize purse after eight races.
In 2024, USCX will once more supply $15,000, divided evenly between the highest elite men and women on the conclusion of 4 consecutive weekends that conclude at Trek CX Cup in Waterloo, Wisconsin on October 5-6. UCI factors are additionally on supply each days in any respect USCX occasions, Saturdays as C1 and Sundays as C2 for elite classes. There are additionally USCX factors obtainable for newbie classes.
Last 12 months USCX additionally began at Fallon Park in Roanoke, Virginia. Both GO Cross winners, Canadian Maghalie Rochette and Swiss rider Loris Rouiller, are absent this 12 months so the sector is extensive open.
Mani was second in each GO Cross contests final 12 months, and can face competitors from Dutch rider Manon Bakker (Fenik-Deceuninck Devo), French champion Hélene Clauzel (UVCA Troyes), Canadian Sidney McGill (Cervelo Orange Living) and U23 Pan American champion Lauren Zoerner (Competitive Edge Racing).
White had a pair of fourth-place finishes in Roanoke final season. He will sq. off in opposition to up-and-coming Alexandre Binggeli (Elite Foundation Cycling Team) of Switzerland and a pack of US riders that embrace US Cyclocross National Championship silver medallist Andrew Strohmeyer (CDX TREK Bikes), nationwide’s bronze medallist Scott Funston (Cervelo Orange Living) and US cyclocross single-speed champion Kerry Werner Jr (Groove Auto Off Road Racing).
James Piccoli leads Team Canada at UCI races in Québec, Montréal
Cycling Canada introduced the alternatives for his or her nationwide groups for the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec and Montréal, going down on September 13 and 15, in addition to for the Tour de Gatineau, going down on Sept. 20 and 21.
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Veteran James Piccoli will conclude his 10-year street biking profession in entrance of household and mates this weekend on the two males’s UCI one-day races. Piccoli spent three seasons on the WorldTour stage with Israel-Premier Tech, using twice within the Vuelta a España. The Montréal native final competed in his residence races in 2019 with a US-based Continental staff, ending twenty second at GP de Québec.
Every 12 months the 2 Grand Prix races welcome the Canadian nationwide staff as a visitor squad, the place younger expertise take a look at their expertise in a global peloton. Joining the skilled Piccoli are six U23 riders – Quentin Cowan, Jérôme Gauthier, Jonas Walton, Léonard Peloquin, Félix Bouchard and Félix Hamel.
On the ladies’s aspect, Kiara Lylyk (Boneshaker Project introduced by ROXO) returns to the Tour de Gatineau, the place she was fourth final 12 months. She’ll be joined by Lily Plante, the 2 representing Canada earlier this 12 months on the Nations Cup observe occasion in Milton, Ontario.
Rounding out the six-rider ladies’s staff for Team Canada at Gatineau are Ngaire Barraclough, Jenaya Françis, Florence Normand and Katja Verkerk.
Alexey Vermeulen appears to defend title at Chequamegon MTB Festival this Saturday
The fourth cease of the six-race Life Time Grand Prix takes place in northern Wisconsin on Saturday on the Chequamegon Mountain Bike Festival introduced by Trek. Defending males’s champion Alexey Vermeulen (ENVE-Factor) returns and appears to attain high factors within the Grand Prix collection, which is currenlty led by Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz Bicycles).
“I’m feeling good and Chequamegon is sort of a residence race for me. I grew up within the Midwest so am at all times excited to compete right here. Late within the season that pleasure at all times helps, and I’ve had a whole lot of psychological freedom this 12 months, so I’m wanting ahead to those final three races of the Series, and I’ll see what I can do,” mentioned the Michigan native.
“I do not suppose you possibly can win Chequamegon with out being within the high 10 all day. You want to provide among the finest energy numbers you may ever do right here as a result of the race by no means goes off the fuel and riders are at all times being coaxed to push it on.”
He’ll face plenty of high opponents once more, together with Swenson, who was second final 12 months, 2022 winner Bradyn Lange, who’s on the comeback from a damaged elbow, and 2021 winner Cole Paton.
“Chequamegon is at all times an open race and I used to be bummed to overlook it final 12 months as a result of COVID. I have never competed a lot this season after breaking my elbow in May, so I’m on my means again and am tremendous excited to race,” Lange mentioned.
On the ladies’s aspect, look ahead to seven-time winner Jenna Rinehart and up to date Leadville winner Melisa Rollins to battle in opposition to two Grand Prix competitor who had been on the rostrum final 12 months – Alexis Skarda and Sofia Gomez Villafañe.
“The Life Time Grand Prix is getting extra aggressive than ever, and the previous few years at Chequamegon, each the boys’s and girls’s races have completed in bunch sprints, which makes it extra open. In the ladies’s race, I feel Melisa [Rollins] will go properly right here once more, as will Alexis [Skarda], who completed second in 2023,” Rinehart mentioned.
“It might be anybody’s day. I’ve been battling a little bit of fatigue within the construct up nevertheless it’s a shorter occasion, and I understand how to race it, so I’m optimistic.”
In a Life Time Grand Prix digital press convention this week, Lange and Rinehart talked to a number of journalists, together with Cyclingnews, concerning the issue of the course despite the fact that it’s simply 39.1 miles, a point-to-point MTB race from Hayward to Cable. The riders mentioned to observe for strikes on the Fire Tower climbs, the longest and steepest part of the course, and energy wanted for a full two hours.
Follow the progress of riders on Life Time Grand Prix social channels, in addition to Athlinks timing.
Marlies Mejias and Marcos Mendez win Bucks County Classic races
Marlies Mejias (Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24) and Marcos Mendez (Rockland Development Program) received the twentieth anniversary criteriums on the Bucks County Classic on Sunday in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, marking the conclusion to the US criterium racing calendar.
The 40-kilometre Doylestown Health professional ladies’s race was marked by early assaults from Automatic-ABUS Racing, Miami Blazers and Goldman Sachs ETFs Racing, with all strikes reeled again from the sector of 32. It wasn’t till the move of the ultimate climb to the end that Mejias launched her assault and held off the Blazers duo of Skylar Schneider and Samantha Schneider by half a motorcycle size for the win.
The entrance pack of six riders crossed the road in 1:06:16, with Andrea Cyr (Goldman Sachs ETFs) ending seven seconds later in seventh and the remainder of the sector scattered on the course. It was teammate Liza Ray who helped Mejias into place for the victory and maintain off the two-rider surge by the Schneider sisters.
“Liza’s unbelievable work actually set me up for the win. Her willpower and talent to chase down the breakaway was so spectacular, and it allowed me to save lots of my vitality for the dash. I’m so happy with the teamwork, and I used to be so pleased to take the win.”
The Thompson professional males’s race coated 100 kilometres on the identical technical 2.25km course with eight turns and a pair of,750 metres of elevation achieve from the repeated passes on the lengthy accent from West Court Street.
With lower than 5 laps to go the assaults stopped and Project Echelon Racing and Miami Blazers took over to type their lead outs. In the closing 200 metres, Mendez hit the accelerator to take the win. Lucas Burgoyne (Austin Outlaws) took second and Tyler Williams (Miami Blazers) crossed the road in third.