USGP of Cyclocross...Mercer Cup...11/17-11/18...

what day will be best for spectating? I gotta head to philly for a day, but I want to check out the racing in my hometown before I split.

good luck guys !
 
i would say saturday will be better to watch. the pros race saturday. I can only make is sunday it hink, which stinks, but will still be fun to go.
 
RJC said:
i would say saturday will be better to watch. the pros race saturday. I can only make is sunday it hink, which stinks, but will still be fun to go.
Click to expand...

I am pretty darn sure that the Pros will be racing both days. That is the whole point of a 2 day race.. no?

J-
 
ah i hope so, maybe i read the schedule wrong, but i think the pros go saturday at 2:30 and sunday is the U23, which also may be pro... i have no idea. pros or not, its bound to be a fun weekend at mercer...nice.
 
Same schedule for BOTH days...Elite Men go off at 3pm...There's also going to be a Specialized demo Friday-Sunday at the park so you could check out some sweet new bikes!!

-Jim.
 
The course is really fun and flowy.

The ramp down the steps is strangely steep.

I went to a dealer event and did 5 laps with Tim Johnson.

I was near my limit and he was just talking to me like he was out for a stroll..

I saw a lot of big names out on the course. Kinda surreal to be on course with Trebon, Wicks, Luna Chix etc..

This should be a killer time.

Try and make it.

Peas

J_
 
I'm going on Sunday....First time at an organized race....Read in the paper that the event planners were happy with the wind coming off the man made lake....They think it's a little twist to the race
 
i just got back from the race, way cool to watch. The best "ooohs and ahhs" was standing at the sand pit. Those Pro men real do fly by ya. Good times!
 
dirty bert said:
i just got back from the race, way cool to watch. The best "ooohs and ahhs" was standing at the sand pit. Those Pro men real do fly by ya. Good times!
Click to expand...

Agreed....Trebon and Wicks were feeling it.....That one berm was a doozy just as you enter on your left...Today should be interesting with the weather...UCI Women's Elite kicks off at 1:45 pm and the men at 3....
 
Yea it was cold and yea it was raining, but it sure was fun! The halters men lucked out in the early race because we didnt get hit w/ the rain. All of us managed to put in some good races.

The course was awesome, fast and flowy. And the obstacle sections were awesome! I really hated that damn sand pit bc it zapped everything you had for a few seconds. But it was worth it bc next was the "a frame" Now that was a blast. It scared the crap out of you bc it really was a 50/50 shot of making it bc as you were hopping back on the bike you were being trusted downward. The course was decievingly tough. It really demanded all of your bike skills. I was pretty happy w/ my effort.

The rest of the day was great once i layered up and got a hold of some hot liquids. It really was awesome to see the pros do what they do. It was my first time getting to see these guys and man they do it up. They also are pretty damn cool. I got to chat with Tim Johnson and Barry Wicks. Fun stuff.
 
Grrreat!

😀 🙂 After riding the course on Friday with Tim Johnson knowing for sure that he was soft pedaling the whole thing it was awesome to see him going all out.


It was nice to see Adam Craig there. He is an approachable guy who isn't as stuck up like you might think a pro would be. He is from Maine like me so instantly he is my favorite rider. I saw Adam fall in a muddy corner and he just got up sort of slowly and laughed it off. Nice to see that these guys are human too.

I heard some guys talking in the first lap and it was cool to see that they are more friendly to each other and they they were indeed having a super time.

I was very impressed with the professionalism at all levels at this race. These guys are amazing athletes at all levels.

I was in the pits for a while where I was inches from these guys. It was insane to note that Ryan Trebon and Tim Johnson seemed to make no audible breathing noise. As the pack went by the breathing got louder after the top 10 went by. It seemed like the guys in the top 10 were at SO much of higher level that they were only slowed down by the wet condition and not their fitness.

Trebon in particular is insanely fit. He seemed as efficient as an electric motor. Crazy to watch up close. He sort of sat in for the first lap and then just reeled in the bunch. It didn't look like he was even trying. In my mind he belongs in Europe racing with the big guns of cross. I was glad to see him though.

There was a pretty big crash early on and Barry Wicks got knocked down in the placing quite a bit. We rode with Barry at Pedro's fest this summer so to see a guy you sorta know out there was cool.

The course was spectator friendly and challenging even though the elevation change was limited.

It was a bummer to see the limited spectator turnout though. It seems that the cycling public in NJ does not know about cross. To be fair the weather was shitty. This was the first pro cross race I had seen in person. I am sure it won't be my last.

peas


j-
 
jdog said:
It was a bummer to see the limited spectator turnout though. It seems that the cycling public in NJ does not know about cross. To be fair the weather was shitty. This was the first pro cross race I had seen in person. I am sure it won't be my last.
Click to expand...

There were many more people there on Saturday. I arrived just as the men started on Saturday. I was still closer to my car than the course. As soon as the men went through the start area there was a mass of people bookin to get a good spot at the sandpit. Kinda funny to see. They looked like cattle just moving across the course.

Emily thought is was cool. Ryan even said he wanted to do it. I reminded him that they don't allow training-wheels in the race. 🙂
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom