With the major growth in cyclocross over the last 16 years, not that many of our readers remember cyclocross racing in 2001, let alone were present for the era when we had our first national series in the Saturn Supercup. We profiled this ground-breaking series in depth in Issue 22’s “When Cyclocross Was a Spectator Sport) (available in print and digital). The series was revolutionary in that it as the first time races brought the country’s best cyclocross racers together well before Nationals and provided a fantastic experience for spectators.
Erwin Vervecken came to GP Gloucester in 2001 as World Champion and cleaned up with back-to-back wins. photo: Mark Abramson
The GP of Gloucester, which returns again this weekend, was one of the pinnacle weekends of the series in 2001, as it brought out the current World Champion in Belgian Erwin Vervecken to race in the U.S. and battle our country’s top cyclocross stars.
Watch Henry Jurenka’s video recaps of both days of racing from the 2001 edition of the Gran Prix of Gloucester below.
Viewers might note the plethora of titanium (Mongoose!), steel (Independent Fabrication) and aluminum (Empella!) bikes near the front, and Tim Johnson racing clinchers (legendary Michelin Mud clinchers), top-mounted inline brake levers, all on a course that looks remarkably similar to this weekend’s edition of the race.
GP Gloucester 2001 Day 1, October 13, 2001
GP Gloucester 2001 Day 2, October 14, 2001
Erwin Vervecken continued to race in the States, last winning the Planet Bike Cup in 2009, and we sat down with the three-time World Champ as he was near retiring in 2010 for an interview.
Stay tuned for our 2016 Gran Prix of Gloucester coverage this weekend.
