Lancaster, Massachusetts – The Minuteman Road Club is pleased to announce the opening of registration for The Midnight Ride of Cyclocross (MRCX), which will take place on Wednesday, September 28th at The Fairgrounds in Lancaster, MA. “We are really happy to be part of the Holy Week of Cyclocross, and kick off festivities going into New England World Championships,” said Race Director Gary David, referring to the legendary status of Gloucester weekend. “The Fairgrounds offers a great venue to participate in and watch a race. And with the popularity last year of Night Weasels, we knew we had an opportunity to contribute to the increasing interest in night racing. Rose Darden, Chair of the Bolton Fair Committee which is located at the site, said “The Fairgrounds is very excited to be hosting the Midnight Ride of Cyclocross. It provides the quintessential New England setting and a challenging course.”
The Midnight Ride will give competitors the opportunity to race under the lights as a final tune-up before The Gran Prix of Gloucester. The race will serve as the kick-off event for the New England Holy Week of Cyclocross, which encompasses 6 races over 10 days. The other races include The Gran Prix of Gloucester, Night Weasels, and the Providence Cyclocross Festival. Together the Holy Week of Cyclocross will have over $20,000 in prize money. Additionally, with Gloucester and Providence’s UCI C1-C2 combination, pros from around the country and Europe will be on hand to get UCI points. These night races provide an opportunity for them to experience all that NECX has to offer.”
Strava has partnered with MRC and The Midnight Ride to create an event page where competitors can upload their race files and compare their lap times and segment times with others. This also will serve as a way to catalogue cross courses and create a virtual cross course database. Strava is excited to test out how it can be used as a training tool for cyclocross as competitors can compare themselves against other lap by lap as well as through course features.
The Midnight Ride of Cyclocross will host four races, beginning at 5:00pm, with Elite Women at 7:00pm and Elite Men at 8:00pm. Helen Wyman, British National Champion, is currently registered, as are other European professionals who are in New England for Gloucester and Providence. The event will have a Single Speed race as part of the Zanconato Single Speed series competition. Spectators are free and are welcome to see some of the best in North America and the world compete in an intimate New England setting.
For more information you can go to www.midnightridecx.com or email Gary David at [email protected].
