McConneloug, McCormack Cap Verge NECCS Titles With Victories at W.E. Stedman Co.
Grand Prix
The cyclo-cross season came to an end this weekend with Mary
McConneloug (Seven Cycles) and Mark McCormack (Clif Bar/Colavita Olive Oil)
winning the final round of the 2004 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross
Series in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. Their victories in Round 7 of the NECCS
brought served as exclamation points on each of their victories in the Series�
overall standings.
McConneloug showcased her skills by walking away with
the women�s race uncontested. She started out with Mackensie Dickey (Bicycle
Alley), Stephanie White (Dansko/Wheelworks), Anna Milkowski (Rona), and Maureen
Bruno-Roy (Cyclocrossworld.com) on her tail but quickly pulled away from them
all on lap 1. With first place all but wrapped up, the race of the day was for
2nd place where Milkowski, Dickey, and Bruno took turns powering the chase
group, leaving everyone else out of the mix. The threesome was broken up only by
an unfortunate mechanical for Milkowski that came with 2 laps to go, who was
held up with rear derailleur problems. With the race for 2nd down to two
players, Mo Bruno went to work and hammered Dickey into exhaustion, taking the
race for 2nd place, with Dickey rounding out the podium in 3rd.
Much of
the attention in the men�s elite race was focused on the contest among the
under-23 riders in attendance. Series leader Matt White (NCC/BikeReg.com) had a
30-point lead over Jesse Anthony (Cyclocrossworld.com) in the under-23 overall
standings going into the race, with the unknown element being Jeremy Powers
(Jelly Belly/Aramark), who has recently returned from Europe to prepare for the
upcoming national championships. The first lead group of the day contained all 3
of them, but after 2 laps a group of 5 leaders emerged that included Mark
McCormack, Powers, Anthony, Mike Broderick (Seven Cycles), and Tyler Johnson
(Richard Sachs). White had missed the move, and had to rely on Powers finishing
in front of Anthony to help retain his overall title. While Powers � clearly the
strongest rider in the race � did the lion�s share of the work up front, the
composition of the group changed, with Broderick and Johnson getting dropped due
to the incessantly high pace. Meanwhile, McCormack sat in the wheels waiting for
his moment to attack, which came at 1 km to go when he dropped the hammer,
gapping everyone except Anthony. Powers crashed with only a handful of turns to
go � eventually finishing 5th � , allowing Anthony to grab the under-23 Series
overall victory. McCormack and Anthony hit the pavement for the final time wheel
to wheel, with McCormack taking the furious sprint by a wheel. Tyler Johnson
pulled off a late-race charge to finish 3rd.
Other winners on the day
included Toby Marzot (Coast to Coast/KAM/Stelvio) in the Juniors race; Ryan
Fleming (Peerless Insurance/Papa Wheelies) in the B Men�s race; Greg Ferguson
(Fort/GPOA) in the Masters 35+; Paul Curley (Gearworks/SpinArts) in the Master�s
45+; Phil Bannister (Putney/West Hill) in the Masters 55+; Stephen Kelley
(Vortex Racing) in the C Men�s; Michele Moffat (Rocinante) in the B Women�s; and
Doug Aspinwall (NCC/BikeReg.com) in the B Masters.
Overall Series winners
are:
Elite Men:
1st. Mark McCormack (Clif Bar/Colavita Olive
Oil)
2nd. Todd Wells (GT/Hyundai)
3rd. Ryan Trebon (Kona)
Elite
Women:
1st. Mary McConneloug (Seven Cycles)
2nd. Maureen Bruno-Roy
(Cyclocrossworld.com)
3rd. Anna Milkowski
(Rona)
Under-23:
1st. Jesse Anthony
(Cyclocrossworld.com)
2nd. Matt White (NCC/BikeReg.com)
3rd. Troy Wells
(Kona/Easton/CCA)
Other Series overall winners are: Toby Marzot (Corner
Cycle) in the Juniors; Jonny Bold (Corner Cycles/Independent Fabrication) in the
Masters 35+; Paul Curley (Gearworks/SpinArts) in the Masters 45+; Mike Magur
(Verge/Test Pilot) in the B Men�s; Bruce McCowan (Providence Velo Club) in the
Masters 55+.
The W.E. Stedman Co. Grand Prix of Cyclo-Cross is presented
by Pave Productions, and sponsored by W.E. Stedman Co. of Wakefield, Rhode
Island; Method Athlete Development.
The 2004 Verge NECCS is sponsored by
Verge Sport, makers of quality cycling apparel, and specializing in custom
clothing orders; Cycle-Smart Solutions for Cycling, expert coaching for all
cycling disciplines; International Bicycle Center, Boston�s premier bicycle
shop; BikeReg.com, the solution for all of your online registration needs for
cycling events; Intensepicts.com, provider of all series photography; The Ride
Magazine, the guide to cycling racing and culture in New England; Litmus
Designs, integrating web technology and graphic design solutions for your
business needs; Pioneer Event Productions, providing technical services to the
NECCS, and other cycling events throughout New England.
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