Curtis White (Steve Tilford Foundation Racing) and Caroline Mani (Groove Auto Off Road Racing) lead an international field of contenders this weekend in the opening round of the Trek US Cyclocross Series (USCX) at Virginia's Blue Ridge GO Cross presented by Fat Tire.
Both elite riders took top honours in the season-long ProCX calendar in 2023, which this year is USA Cycling's Cyclocross National Series. White is a two-time USCX champion, while Mani won the women's overall in 2022 and finished second last year, earning top prizes from the $15,000 prize purse after eight races.
In 2024, USCX will again offer $15,000, divided evenly between the top elite women and men at the conclusion of four consecutive weekends that conclude at Trek CX Cup in Waterloo, Wisconsin on October 5-6. UCI points are also on offer both days at all USCX events, Saturdays as C1 and Sundays as C2 for elite categories. There are also USCX points available for amateur categories.
Last year USCX also started at Fallon Park in Roanoke, Virginia, where Canadian Maghalie Rochette and Swiss rider Loris Rouiller won both days. Both are absent this year, Rochette racing at Chequamegon MTB Festival, so the field is wide open.
Mani was second in both GO Cross contests last year, and will face competition from Dutch rider Manon Bakker (Fenik-Deceuninck Devo), French champion Hélene Clauzel (UVCA Troyes), Canadian Sidney McGill (Cervelo Orange Living) and U23 Pan American champion Lauren Zoerner (Competitive Edge Racing).
White had a pair of fourth-place finishes in Roanoke last season. He will square off against up-and-coming Alexandre Binggeli (Elite Foundation Cycling Team) of Switzerland and a pack of US riders that include US Cyclocross National Championship silver medallist Andrew Strohmeyer (CDX TREK Bikes), national's bronze medallist Scott Funston (Cervelo Orange Living) and US cyclocross single-speed champion Kerry Werner Jr (Groove Auto Off Road Racing).
James Piccoli leads Team Canada at UCI races in Québec, Montréal
Cycling Canada announced the selections for their national teams for the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec and Montréal, taking place on September 13 and 15, as well as for the Tour de Gatineau, taking place on Sept. 20 and 21.
Veteran James Piccoli will conclude his 10-year road cycling career in front of family and friends this weekend at the two men's UCI one-day races. Piccoli spent three seasons at the WorldTour level with Israel-Premier Tech, riding twice in the Vuelta a España. The Montréal native last competed in his home races in 2019 with a US-based Continental team, finishing 22nd at GP de Québec.
Every year the two Grand Prix races welcome the Canadian national team as a guest squad, where young talent test their skills in an international peloton. Joining the experienced Piccoli are six U23 riders - Quentin Cowan, Jérôme Gauthier, Jonas Walton, Léonard Peloquin, Félix Bouchard and Félix Hamel.
On the women's side, Kiara Lylyk (Boneshaker Project presented by ROXO) returns to the Tour de Gatineau, where she was fourth last year. She'll be joined by Lily Plante, the two representing Canada earlier this year at the Nations Cup track event in Milton, Ontario.
Rounding out the six-rider women's team for Team Canada at Gatineau are Ngaire Barraclough, Jenaya Françis, Florence Normand and Katja Verkerk.
Alexey Vermeulen looks to defend title at Chequamegon MTB Festival this Saturday
The fourth stop of the six-race Life Time Grand Prix takes place in northern Wisconsin on Saturday at the Chequamegon Mountain Bike Festival presented by Trek. Defending men's champion Alexey Vermeulen (ENVE-Factor) returns and looks to score top points in the Grand Prix series, which is currenlty led by Keegan Swenson (Santa Cruz Bicycles).
"I'm feeling good and Chequamegon is like a home race for me. I grew up in the Midwest so am always excited to compete here. Late in the season that excitement always helps, and I've had a lot of mental freedom this year, so I'm looking forward to these last three races of the Series, and I'll see what I can do," said the Michigan native.
"I don't think you can win Chequamegon without being in the top 10 all day. You need to produce some of the best power numbers you'll ever do here because the race never goes off the gas and riders are always being coaxed to push it on."
He'll face a number of top competitors again, including Swenson, who was second last year, 2022 winner Bradyn Lange, who is on the comeback from a broken elbow, and 2021 winner Cole Paton.
"Chequamegon is always an open race and I was bummed to miss it last year due to COVID. I haven't competed much this season after breaking my elbow in May, so I'm on my way back and am super excited to race," Lange said.
On the women's side, watch for seven-time winner Jenna Rinehart and recent Leadville winner Melisa Rollins to battle against two Grand Prix competitor who were on the podium last year – Alexis Skarda and Sofia Gomez Villafañe. 2023 winner Ruth Edwards will be in Europe riding for her Human Powered Health team at Grand Prix Stuttgart.
"The Life Time Grand Prix is getting more competitive than ever, and the last few years at Chequamegon, both the men's and women's races have finished in bunch sprints, which makes it more open. In the women's race, I think Melisa [Rollins] will go well here again, as will Alexis [Skarda], who finished second in 2023," Rinehart said.
"It could be anyone's day. I've been battling a bit of fatigue in the build up but it's a shorter event, and I know how to race it, so I'm optimistic."
In a Life Time Grand Prix virtual press conference this week, Lange and Rinehart talked to several journalists, including Cyclingnews, about the difficulty of the course even though it is just 39.1 miles, a point-to-point MTB race from Hayward to Cable now in its 41st edition. The riders said to watch for moves on the Fire Tower climbs, the longest and steepest section of the course, and power needed for a full two hours.
Follow the progress of riders on Life Time Grand Prix social channels, as well as Athlinks timing.
Marlies Mejias and Marcos Mendez win Bucks County Classic races
Marlies Mejias (Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY24) and Marcos Mendez (Rockland Development Program) won the 20th anniversary criteriums at the Bucks County Classic on Sunday in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, marking the conclusion to the US criterium racing calendar.
The 40-kilometre Doylestown Health pro women's race was marked by early attacks from Automatic-ABUS Racing, Miami Blazers and Goldman Sachs ETFs Racing, with all moves reeled back from the field of 32. It wasn't until the pass of the final climb to the finish that Mejias launched her attack and held off the Blazers duo of Skylar Schneider and Samantha Schneider by half a bike length for the win.
The front pack of six riders crossed the line in 1:06:16, with Andrea Cyr (Goldman Sachs ETFs) finishing seven seconds later in seventh and the rest of the field scattered on the course. It was teammate Liza Ray who helped Mejias into position for the victory and hold off the two-rider surge by the Schneider sisters.
“Liza's incredible work really set me up for the win. Her determination and ability to chase down the breakaway was so impressive, and it allowed me to save my energy for the sprint. I’m so proud of the teamwork, and I was so happy to take the win."
The Thompson pro men's race covered 100 kilometres on the same technical 2.25km course with eight turns and 2,750 metres of elevation gain from the repeated passes on the long accent from West Court Street.
With less than five laps to go the attacks stopped and Project Echelon Racing and Miami Blazers took over to form their lead outs. In the closing 200 metres, Mendez hit the accelerator to take the win. Lucas Burgoyne (Austin Outlaws) took second and Tyler Williams (Miami Blazers) crossed the line in third.
