Dickey Wins Again, White Breaks Through

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 5, 2006

CONTACT:
Milliman Media Group
NECCS Coordinator
(603) 340-1580
media@necyclocross.com

A new generation of New England cyclo-crossers broke through at round four of the 2006 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series, the 16th Annual Cycle-Smart International in Northampton, Massachusetts, with wins by Mackenzie Dickey (Verge) and Matt White (FiordiFrutta) in the Elite Women’s and Men’s races, respectively. Dickey and White, both under 25, turned in dominant performances on the Look Park course, which featured endless twists and turns.

Dickey rode a nearly flawless race, pushing the pace from the first lap and forcing her rivals into mistakes along the way. Amy Wallace (RGM Watches-Richards Sachs-Rex Chiu) looked to be gaining some momentum in her pursuit of Dickey when she slid out on a bed of pine needles and lost the pace for good. Rebecca Wellons (Gearworks-SpinArts), who’d earlier cartwheeled over the barriers, slotted in for second behind Dickey.

“The Connecticut/Northampton weekend has always been one of my favorites,” said Dickey, who has signed with the Colavita-Cooking Light pro road team for 2007. “The races are really different but I like them both, I guess it showed this weekend.”

White’s hometown win came to fruition with a dash of living dangerously and some help from his friends. White, well known in New England for his fast starts, went off the front on the first lap again in Northampton. But as the laps wore on and White’s lead went over the 30-second mark, the 10-rider chase group figured perhaps the fast starter was turning into a fast finisher and tried to get organized enough to catch the solo breakaway. White had two aces up his sleeve, however, in the form of teammates Johs Huseby and Mike Cody, who did their best to break up any chasing momentum. Round three Verge NECCS winner Davide Frattini (Colavita-Sutter Home) finally set off in pursuit but it was too little too late as White coasted home with nearly 20 seconds in hand, while Huseby won the sprint for third.

“It felt like a long time to be off the front,” said White. “When they started showing lap cards and it said nine-to-go I wasn’t sure if I could stay out there. I could see Johs and Mike slowing things down there for me, which made it better for me.”

White’s win gave him the Verge NECCS leader’s jersey, though he and Mark McCormack (Clif Bar) are tied on points, and Dickey’s pair of weekend wins vaults her over the absent Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com) into the Elite Women’s Verge NECCS leadership.

The Verge NECCS continues November 25 in Sterling, Massachusetts with the Bay State Cyclocross.

The 2006 Verge NECCS is sponsored by Verge Sport, makers of quality cycling apparel, and specializing in custom clothing orders; Cycle-Smart: Solutions for Cycling, personalized coaching for all cycling disciplines; Felt Bicycles, builders of the best bicycles in the world: BikeReg.com, the official registration service of the NECCS, is the solution for all of your online registration needs for cycling events; Greyhound Juice, warming salves and skin care products for all athletes; and Paul Weiss Photo/Video, the NECCS official photographer and videographer.

Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series

• October 14 - Downeast Cyclocross #1 - New Gloucester, ME
• October 15 - Downeast Cyclocross #2 - New Gloucester, ME
• November 4 - Chainbiter 8.0 - Farmington, CT
• November 5 - Cycle-Smart International - Northampton, MA
• November 25 - Bay State Cyclocross - Sterling, MA
• December 9 - W.E. Steadman Grand Prix - S. Kingston, RI
• December 10 - Caster's Cyclocross - Warwick, RI

For more information on the 2006 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series please go to www.necyclocross.com