With four fantastic route options – from a 15 mile ride through charming countryside and nearby parks to the more challenging 100 mile Gran Fondo, an epic ride throughout the North Shore including a time trial segment, the event has something for everyone.

To commemorate the event, ECV will be offering a special “Rosa” version of the club kit for all club members with a portion of sales being donated to the American Diabetes Association.  In addition, the club’s clothing sponsor, Verge Sport, has generously offered to donate 10% of kit sales to ADA.

The fundraising minimum is $200 per rider and ECV has set a goal of raising $2000. To join the team or make a donation please go the team’s page on the Tour de Cure website

In 2011, more than 55,000 cyclists in 80 events raised more than $18 million to support the mission of the American Diabetes Association: to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.

For more information, contact Chris McKernan

Hello ECVers! Come One Come All!
It’s that time of the year again. ECV is holding its annual general meeting on February 28th at the Cove Community Center in Beverly. We’re also wrapping up the 2012 clothing order on this night.

Program:

• 6.30p Cocktails
  7.00p Buffet starts
  7:15p start meeting
• 9:00p meeting ends

Costs:

• ECV Members: Free
  non-Members: $10 for buffett
  cash bar

You can purchase/renew ECV Memberships onsite.

Matt, Nick, and Joe at Gloucester Day 1 by Tiffany Remy

Hi everyone,

As the cyclocross season winds down I wanted talk briefly about the last two races: NBX Gran Prix in Warwick this weekend and the Ice Weasels Cometh the following weekend.

NBX GP is the final race of the Verge series and the Shimano series. As a partner of ECV, Mazda will be on hand to show off their cars and meet cross racers. If you’re racing or spectating, please take the time to say hello and thank them for their support. Mazda is excited about their involvement with ECV and cyclocross. We hope to continue our partnership in 2012.

ECV's Jewel Event: the Gran Prix of Gloucester

The following weekend is the unofficial season ender, the Ice Weasels Cometh. This race is a blast. In general the emphasis is on fun more than actually racing for a result. There are plenty of adult beverages passed to riders DURING the racing. It really is a festive celebration of the season. ECV will be there in full force with riders in all categories and a hospitality tent.

Here’s video from last year: http://www.youtube.com/user/ddonovanjr?blend=3&ob=5#p/u/0/ADVUbNG9zz0

I wanted to leave you with one final thought. A former ECV member who moved away from New England recently showed up at a local cross race and was blown away by the numbers of ECV members. He said it felt like the good old days.

Happy Holidays! Enjoy the decent weather while it’s here and RIDE!

Paul Boudreau

From the so-called heyday of the 90s when there were TONS of ECV at cross races.

Volunteering: Jason K

Sets of wheels, shoes, tools, clothing, food, drink - Just a sampling of the items we have lined up for our Gran Prix of Gloucester volunteers.

The weekend of October 1 & 2 promises to be filled with action as Great Brewers Gran Prix of Gloucester is the first stop in a new UCI international series.  As a result, we are expecting a record turnout for both racers and spectators alike. With the the race just next weekend, the membership of Essex County Velo is once again greatly needed in several areas.  We can’t pull it off without your help and are looking for volunteers. Ask anyone who has helped in the past — it’s a blast!

Like the past few years we’re making it worth your while. First off, volunteers get free food at the ECV Hospitality Tent. We’re raffling off more cool stuff in our volunteer raffle including stuff from Mavic & Louis Garneau and more. Just like past years, the more you volunteer, the better your chances of winning. Volunteer opportunities are broken up into shifts and the more shifts you take the more raffle tickets you get.

See below for volunteer descriptions and time slots available.

Volunteering: Post-event Celebration

Please contact Patrick Cochran (patrick@gpgloucester.com) if you can help
out.

Wednesday 28 September
Number Sorting party at Acapulco’s 6:30-9:30pm

Thursday 29 September:
We need a few bodies late afternoon 2:00-4:00pm to help with prelim course set up

Friday 30 September:
Course set-up – Staff will be at Stage Fort Park all day from 10:00AM until 6:00PM. Two shifts are available: 10:00AM-2:00PM (lunch provided), 2:00PM-6:00PM.

Saturday 1 October:

5:30-7:30AM Course set-up: One dozen hearty soles to help with last minute set-up.
6:00-11:00AM Registration: (we need lots of help for this shift!),
7:45-10:45AM Marshals (coverage for C4 Men, C4 Masters, C34 Women)
10:30am-1:30pm Marshals (coverage for Junior CUB, Masters 45+, Masters 55+, Masters 1/2/3)
10:45AM-2:30PM Registration
11:45am-2:00PM Marshals (coverage for Juniors, C3 Men, Masters 55+, Masters 1/2/3)
2:15pm-4:30PM Marshals (coverage for UCI Women, UCI Men)
4:30PM-7:00PM Course Changing: people to change the course which is different on Sunday
(Marshals who can work thru the end of the Men’s Elite race will get double raffle tix for their shift!)

Volunteering: Derf O.

Sunday 2 October:

5:30-7:30AM Course set-up: One dozen hearty soles to help with last minute set-up.
6:00-11:00AM Registration: (we need lots of help for this shift!),
7:45-10:45AM Marshals (coverage for C4 Men, C4 Masters, C34 Women)
10:30am-1:30pm Marshals (coverage for Junior CUB, Masters 45+, Masters 55+, Masters 1/2/3)
10:45AM-2:30PM Registration
11:45am-2:00PM Marshals (coverage for Juniors, C3 Men, Masters 55+, Masters 1/2/3)
12:30-2:30PM – Kids Race setup, marshalling & tear down
2:15pm-4:30PM Marshals (coverage for UCI Women, UCI Men)
4:30PM-7:00PM Course Changing: people to change the course which is different on Sunday
(Marshals who can work thru the end of the Men’s Elite race will get double raffle tix for their shift!)
Course Clean-up: 4:30PM-7:00PM.

Please contact the volunteer coordinator, Patrick Cochran,

patrick@gpgloucester.com

Volunteering: End of Day 1 Celebration

ECV Grassroots Cyclocross - Driven by Mazda

Dear ECV Members,

Over the last few months we have been working with Mazda to help them expand their exposure within the cycling market. The demographics of cyclists, and more specifically crossers, align closely with their target market. To that end, we are proud to announce the formation of the ECV Grassroots Cyclocross Program – Driven by Mazda.

With the club’s long history in cyclocross, our partnership with Mazda allows us to continue and build upon our mission of supporting cycling at the grassroots level.

The program is open and free to all ECV members. The basic requirements to participate are:

-  to maintain a current membership
-  to race in the new kit design this season

The program plans to provide mechanical & hospitality support for all races on our schedule. A full schedule will be posted early next week. Mazda will be exhibiting at all the Shimano NEPCX Series events (Gloucester, Providence, Northampton, Warwick). Members are encouraged to participate in as many of the NEPCX events as possible as they are the primary focus of the Mazda sponsorship. Members who attend all the Shimano Series events will receive added program benefits at the end of the season.

As an added incentive to join, we are offering through Bikereg, a limited edition long-sleeved skin suit from Verge for only $45. You can buy two for $80.

With the season rapidly upon us, we are planning to kick off the program at our first target event, Gloucester. Therefore the order deadline for clothing is tight. Order deadline for the skinsuit is Tuesday the 20th of September.

I hope all of you are as excited as we are to begin what will be a long lasting and expanding program.

To join or renew your  membership to ECV link please go to Bikereg.com
To Order Grassroots clothing - http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=14319
To Order additional ECV Clothing http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=14345

We look forward to seeing you this cross season,

Paul Boudreau – President
Chris McKernan – Vice President
Michele Harrison – Treasurer

Joe Anthony asked me to add the following notes about the Four Gapper ride

http://ecvcycling.org/the-four-gapper-bike-ride-2011/

Contact: Paul Boudreau, Race Director
Fidelity Investments Gran Prix of Beverly
paul@granprixbeverly.com
Web site:  www.granprixbeverly.com

BEVERLY, MA (July 19, 2011) – Reigning state criterium champion Tim Johnson of Beverly returns to the Garden City on Wednesday, Aug. 3, to defend his crown and challenge other elite racers at the 3^rd annual Fidelity Investments Gran Prix of Beverly.

Organizers are again gearing up for the standing-room crowds that packed the downtown last year to watch Johnson (pictured above) edge fellow Beverly resident Jesse Anthony of Kelly Benefit Strategies for the top honors in the Elite Men State Championship Race.

For the second year in a row, the Beverly Gran Prix will serve as the state’s criterium cycling championship, sanctioned by the sport’s national governing body, USA Cycling. The Elite Men’s race is set to go off at 6:35 p.m. In addition, the Gran Prix features an Amateur Men’s race at 4:30 p.m., and a Masters 35-plus Men’s race at 5:20 p.m.

All three groups will race the same serpentine course, which starts and finishes on Cabot Street, and winds along sections of Hale and Dane streets. For the uninitiated, a criterium, or “crit,” is essentially a high-speed, high-stakes rolling chess match. Held on a short-circuit course – typically closed city streets – a criterium features brightly clad competitors constantly jockeying for position at speeds of up to 35 miles an hour as they repeatedly circle past spectators, and closer to 45 miles on hour during the final dash to the finish. Each race lasts roughly an hour, and consists of several “races within a race,” called primes (pronounced “preems”), ensuring non-stop action for competitors and spectators alike.

“The transformation of Cabot Street into a race course is pretty amazing,” said Johnson, who rides for Cannondale/CyclocrossWorld.com, last year. “I was so excited about the crowds, three and four deep by the start-finish area, and going past St. Mary’s Star of the Sea church, with Father Barnes ringing the church bells for the primes. The whole atmosphere was so charged. Everything was amplified.”

“This course is one of the most challenging criterium courses in New England,” said race director Paul Boudreau, also a Beverly resident. “There are lots of high-speed corners that require riders with excellent bike-handling skills.”

However, the Gran Prix races also highlight the growing interest in cycling and bike advocacy in Massachusetts in general, and Boston’s North Shore in particular. Beverly and the surrounding communities are not only home to numerous high-end cycling shops, but also to several professional cyclists, including Johnson, a native of nearby Middleton, and Anthony, winner of this year’s 5-day Nature Valley Grand Prix in Minnesota.

Last March, Johnson led a 500-mile bike ride from Boston to Washington, DC, to focus attention on advocacy causes for cyclists and organizations such as Bikes Belong and the Boston-based Livable Streets Alliance. To help persuade area cyclists to pedal to the Gran Prix race on Aug. 3, organizers are offering complimentary bike valet services at the First Baptist Church at 221 Cabot St. Cyclists using the bike valet will also receive a free entry to a post-race raffle for an adult or children’s bicycle.

“This year, we consider the race to be part of a bigger picture,” said Boudreau. “Rather than just thinking of this event as a race, we want it to highlight how cycling in Beverly has grown. In addition to high-level bike racing, we have a kids races and parade. We’re also putting a spotlight on advocacy by encouraging people to ride their bike to the race.”

The kids races and parade are free, but registration – from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. at Beverly Common – is required. Those races will be held from 5:30 to 6 p.m. in the following age groups: 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, and 11-12. The kids parade is set for 6 p.m. on the Gran Prix race course with a number of the top pro riders. “I really want to see the kids race become a must-see event,” Johnson said. “That’s where we grow our future champions.”

Race organizers are partnering again with Beverly Homecoming, one of the signature events on the city’s annual calendar. This citywide celebration – the quintessential New England summertime festival now in its 45^th year – guarantees a terrific race-day crowd.

Local restaurants are expected to take advantage of streets being altered into a race course/walking mall, setting up outdoor cafes and adding to the celebratory atmosphere. “I’m excited to see the community embrace this event,” said Boudreau. “I’m grateful when business along the course tolerate the race, but I’m thrilled when they embrace it.”

For details, including photographs, contact race director Paul Boudreau, at paul@granprixbeverly.com.

Contact: Richard Fries, Richard_Fries@hotmail.com, 781.888.7272

Shimano Launches Cyclocross Initiative with Series Sponsorship

New England Sponsorship Creates Nation’s Richest ‘Cross Series

BOSTON (July 12, 2011) – A pioneer in developing components for cyclocross, Shimano America announced today its sponsorship of the UCI sanctioned New England Professional Cyclocross Series.

“Shimano prides itself on the values of culture and history,” said Penina Bush, senior manager at Shimano America. Having long sponsored the UCI World Cup, the World Championships, and regional series in America, Shimano recognized the heritage of New England cyclo-cross. “Shimano places great values on culture and history. We are honored to be aligned with the NEPCX to help strengthen the ‘cross scene. New England’s culture, history and passionate followers are something we identify with as a company and as passionate cyclists. We look forward to our involvement for years to come.”

The Shimano New England Pro Cyclocross Series Presented by Verge will include eight races with considerable heritage in a region famous for cyclo-cross, the steeplechase of competitive cycling. Those venues will include Gloucester, Mass.; Providence, R.I.; Northampton, Mass.; and Warwick, R.I.

“Shimano recognized the power of the New England market in cyclocross,” said Richard Fries, marketing and communications director of the Shimano Series. “We are known for the quality of our riders, our venues, and our market. In looking to launch a cyclocross-specific component group, Shimano selected New England as the ultimate proving ground.”

The eight-race series is one of just three American cyclocross series sanctioned by the UCI. All events have UCI status with two, Gloucester and Providence, featuring Category 1 races. With Shimano’s backing, the series will offer more than $50,000 in prize money, including more than $10,000 for the overall series payout. Shimano has committed to the series for three years.

“We have thousands of ‘cross racers within a few hours’ drive of these venues,” said Paul Boudreau, promoter of the series opener in Gloucester, one of the most fabled UCI events in America. “With gasoline around $4 a gallon, we’re happy to offer so many competitors – and spectators – a chance to see world class competition that does not break the bank.”

The Shimano Series sprung from the Verge New England Cyclocross Series, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious series. Verge will remain committed to the series as presenting sponsor.

“This is like watching your baby graduate,” said Michael Magur, president of Verge and long time supporter of cyclocross. “These races, these venues, these promoters are going to take American ‘cross to new heights.”

About the Shimano New England Pro Cyclocross Series Presented by Verge: The 2011 Shimano Series includes eight races in four venues: Great Brewers Gran Prix of Gloucester, Oct. 1 & 2 at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester, Mass.; The Providence Cyclo-cross Festival Presented by Interbike, Oct. 8 & 9 at Roger Williams Park in Providence, R.I.; The Cycle-Smart International, Nov. 5 & 6 at Look Park in Northampton, Mass.;  and The NBX Gran Prix of Cyclocross Dec. 3 & 4 in Goddard Park in Warwick, R.I. For more information visit  NEPCX.com.

The Kit modeled by John Adamik

Due to the overwhelming popularity of our new kit design, we’re doing a mid-season replenishment order. This is a just the basics, quick turnaround order.