Racers on the famous beach run of NBX. Photo: Todd Prekaski, 2013.
New England’s 2014 UCI cyclocross season concludes this weekend at the NBX Gran Prix of Cyclocross, also the exciting finale of the 2014 Verge New England Cyclocross Series presented by Stan’s NoTubes and Cycle-Smart. This groundbreaking season has been the stuff of legend; the races this weekend at Warwick, Rhode Island’s Gran Prix of NBX will be no different.
So far in 2014, New England cyclocross has seen young stars reaching big milestones, with Ellen Noble (JAM Fund/NCC) and Curtis White (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) earning their first UCI victories in Series races. Along with these breakthrough rides from regional talent heading to national and international success, New England must also take what somber news comes: the Series will say goodbye to a true classic, the legendary Baystate Cyclocross Weekend.
Talented racers have fought hard to earn the Series leader’s jerseys. Noble currently wears both the overall Elite Women’s and U23 Women’s jerseys; Dan Timmerman (House Industries/SimpleHuman/Richard Sachs) leads the Elite Men’s category; up-and-comer Scott Smith of the JAM Fund narrowly leads the U23 Men’s division over Curtis White. This weekend’s races will be the final showdown for these close Series competitions, where the best in the nation battle to claim the NECX crown.
The roster at NBX promises a thrilling weekend of racing. Series leader Ellen Noble faces runners-up for the Series lead Mo Bruno Roy and Cassie Maximenko. Crystal Anthony (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) just returned from racing in Europe ready to take on her competition and try for the win. In the men’s race, Dan Timmerman, in the Series jersey, heads off against Kerry Werner (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) and local favorite Justine Lindine (Redline Factory/NBX).
In addition to the Elite Series competitions, ten other categories of racing for all levels of junior, amateur, and masters conclude this weekend in Rhode Island. A ceremony after the conclusion of racing on Sunday will honor the top three in all Series categories.
Don’t miss anything this weekend by following @VergeNECXS and #NBXcx. Live video of the Elite races commences at 1:30pm both days on gnarlymonkey.com.
