Ryan Trebon cruising to victory in day 1 of last year's Mercer Cup USGP. © Tom Olesnevich
The cyclocross rumor mills have been buzzing about a big race headed to Fort Collins, Colorado, but we at Cyclocross Magazine couldn’t figure out what all the hub-bub was about. Until yesterday.
Although nothing has been formerly announced yet and we’re still in the realm of hearsay, the beans started to spill when the Cannondale-CyclocrossWorld.com team announced a change to its American calendar for this coming season via Facebook: “Following up: The change in the Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com will take them to Fort Collins for the USGP Mercer Cup, rather than New Jersey.”
While it doesn’t make sense that the event will still bear the “Mercer Cup” name, since Mercer County is the area in New Jersey which has hosted that USGP stop the past several years, it was clear that a change was brewing.
Ryan Trebon was next to add fuel to the rumor-fire, when he Tweeted, “Heard a rumor that the USGP this year is moving the venue from NJ to Fort Collins. Now I won’t get the chance to get heckled there again.”
Elite ‘crosser Meredith Miller, who calls Fort Collins home, several times has alluded to a big race coming to her town via Twitter and her blog. Miller also mentioned that Joan Hanscom, the event director of both the USGP series and the 2013 World Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, had paid several encouraging visits to Fort Collins.
But the smoking gun comes from the USGP series Web site itself. Although we still wait official word, the change looks to be a done deal.
From the USGP Web site: The 2010 US Gran Prix of Cyclocross is a four weekend, eight race series comprised of the Planet Bike Cup – Madison, WI on September 25th and 26th, The Derby City Cup – Louisville, KY on October 23rd and 24th; The Fort Collins Cup – Fort Collins, CO on November 13th and 14h; and The Stanley Portland Cup – Portland, OR on December 4th and 5th. Each of these race weekends will see the deepest, strongest, and fastest cyclocross fields in a series format on this side of the Atlantic.
Great news for the Rocky Mountain region – but ‘crossers in the East Coast hotbed have to be a little dismayed. Stay tuned to Cyclocross Magazine for any upcoming official words on the USGP venues and dates for 2010.
