October 29, 2006; Bridgeton, New Jersey, USA: Verge MAC got a pre-Halloween trick-or-treat surprise at the Beacon Cyclocross in Bridgeton New Jersey on Sunday, October 29. The race was originally scheduled for the previous day, but less than a month before the race, a scheduling conflict with another event elsewhere in the park was discovered that forced organizers to bump back the race date by a day. What seemed like a cruel trick, however, turned out to be a treat as the sunny weather was in contrast to the cold and sometimes rainy weather of the original date.
Though sunny, the weather was also windy -- very windy. Racers, organizers and sponsors scrambled to keep gear in place and, in the process, learned some important lessons. Among the lessons learned was that tying a canopy to a stationary trainer is not an adequate tie-down on a windy day. Another lesson learned was that a canopy is an excellent trainer-flinging device on a blustery day. But even that couldn�t compare to being blown away by a man in fishnet stockings�
The featured UCI C2 Men�s race saw riders from four countries and ten states toe the line. Italy�s Luca Damiani (Team FIDIBC VC ARBEDO) took the early lead, but eventually faded. Another Italian, Davide Frattini (Colavita Olive Oil/Sutter Home Wine) took a commanding lead and looked to have the race sewn up, but the lead group reformed with Wisconsin�s Tristan Schouten (Trek/VW/Michen) and Seattle Washington�s favorite �cat�, Jonathan Sundt joining Frattini, with Adam Hodges Myerson and Roger Aspholm not far behind. With about four laps to go, Schouten was able to get away. Frattini gave him a run for his money on the last obstacle, the course�s signature �Amphitheater of Pain�, but Schouten was too strong.
In the preceding UCI Elite Women�s race Deidre �Grasshopper� Winfield took the win with a 1�:26� margin of victory over her Velo Bella/Kona teammate Melanie �Wrong Way� Swartz. Cheerwine�s Mandy Lozano rounded out the podium.
And then there was Michael Ferrari of the Mt. Nittany Wheelworks. It wasn�t just that his 23 second victory in the B-Men�s race was impressive, or that he dominated the second half of the race -- it was the fact that he did it while wearing fishnet stockings that really set him apart. According to sources, Ferrari said that he was still wearing his costume from a Halloween party the previous night. Other racers in the class, however, were divided in their opinion about the appropriateness of Ferrari�s attire, though most were in agreement that the stockings made his legs look really good.
The Verge MAC Series powered by Hammer Nutrition returns to action in two weeks with another UCI double-header weekend: the Lower Allen Classic near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on November 11 and the HPCX Cyclocross in Central New Jersey on November 12. Information on both races, as well as the rest of the 2006 Verge MAC races can be found on www.BikeReg.com.
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