Kabush and Trebon dab while cresting this climb at the USGP Deschutes Brewery Day 2. ©Cyclocross Magazine
We heard from an inside source this morning that the USGP of Cyclocross has been disbanded for the coming year. This came as no great surprise, after much speculation around Trek’s continued sponsorship, or if the duo of Joan Hanscom and Bruce Fina, after many hiccups with Worlds and the USGP series last year, would want to continue with the task of running the eight-race, nation-wide series.
According to VeloNews, a sponsor of the series last year, Hanscom and Fina said that they had “transferred rights to each of the series’ eight race days to local organizers after a sponsorship search fell short for the 2013-14 season.”
Hanscom also told them, “It’s really just the fact that everybody wants a bigger product every year, more expansion and media exposure, but we’ve lost some sponsors this year and as a result we find ourselves with a sponsorship gap … If it has to go away, we feel that we’re putting them in the hands of good, quality people.”
What does this mean for the races? Our source says that the races will retain C1 status, and we hope that the local promoters can work together to keep the races as a cohesive series. How this will impact the schedules of the top level racers, we’re not sure yet, but we’ll keep you posted as details come in.
