BIG weekend of racing:
With an all-star professional line-up scheduled to start on both Saturday and Sunday, the racing is sure to be fast and thrilling. In the professional women’s fields the crowds in Fort Collins will get to witness one of the few times this season that two World Championship podium finishers – Katie Compton and current USGP series leader Katerina Nash – will race head to head on US soil. In a rematch of last year’s race- that saw Nash victorious on day one and Compton claiming day two- this year’s race is sure to be a preview of what to expect later this year at the World Championships in Koksidje, Belgium. Not to be over-looked or underestimated, the New Belgium Cup will also feature the deepest women’s fields racing in the US this season – including Fort Collins residents Meredith Miller and Georgia Gould in a battle for hometown domination along with French National Champion Caroline Mani; Sue Bulter; Nicole Duke and teammate Kaitlin Antonneau; Ashley James; Kathy Sherwin; Teal Stetson-Lee and more in a race to claim the overall series lead.
The professional men’s racing is also sure to be fast and furious. With the Exergy series leader’s jersey currently on the back of Belgian star Bart Wellens – who is not racing in Fort Collins the battle for the series overall is on! The start list is deep with both star power and horse power: Ryan Trebon, winner of the first race of the USGP season, will take on the powerhouse Cannondale p/b CyclocrossWorld.com trio of Tim Johnson, Swiss champion Christian Heule and Jamey Driscoll; Rapha-Focus stars Jeremy Powers, Chris Jones and Zach McDonald, Belgian star Ben Berden; Robin and Yannick Eckmann; and many many more contenders.
Racing begins on both Saturday and Sunday at 8:00am with a full slate of amateur racing before the pros take the field with the pro women scheduled to start at 2:45 and the pro men at 4pm. Admission is free to the public but there is a $3 per car parking charge. In addition to all the race action, spectators are encouraged to visit the Race Expo, enjoy some food and New Belgium beer and cheer on participants in the Costume Cruiser Cross Race at 1pm.
Directions to the venue, located on College Avenue in Fort Collins adjacent to Tynan’s Nissan, are available on www.usgpcyclocross.com along with a full race day schedule.