EASTERN MEETS ATLANTIC IN PHILADELPHIA SHOWDOWN!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: 2007/02/02
EASTERN MEETS ATLANTIC IN PHILADELPHIA SHOWDOWN!
Now Announcing: The 2007 Philly Phlyer Collegiate Cycling Weekend!
Fresh off an astounding debut in 2006, the Philly Phlyer Collegiate Cycling weekend has upped the ante in 2007 by inviting both the Eastern and Atlantic Collegiate Cycling Conferences. Expanding the original team of Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania, located side by side in West Philadelphia, this year's effort is joined by Johns Hopkins University from Baltimore as well as Temple University and Villanova University, both from Philadelphia.
Asked how this joint conference event came about, Drexel race director Joe Kopena revealed "Well, we thought last year was pretty much the coolest thing ever, but then we started thinking maybe it'd be even better if it was double the size." Conservative estimates predict this race shattering previous records for collegiate cycling, with well over 500 racers expected. Eastern Conference director Mark Abramson goes so far to say "I'll be surprised if anything less than 600 racers show up. It'll be absolutely incredible."
Equipped with wide, safe, amazing courses, the Philly Phlyer will be running no less than 11 collegiate categories, including Women's and Men's A and B as well as Men's C and D for both Division I and II. Further, the 2007 event will also feature Men's and Women's Introductory Categories. Designed to ease the steep learning curve new racers often face, these will employ an exciting "coached race" format. In this scheme, professional coaches and experienced veterans control the group for the first half of the race, giving tips and instruction on bike handling, tactics, and strategy while ensuring a safe race in which everyone will learn something. In the second half, the coaches let loose the reigns and racers take off, applying all their newfound knowledge. Temple team founder and captain Jay Kamen feels "This is an awesome idea that will really help beginning racers, and I think all the new and small teams especially will really appreciate having a way for new riders to learn how to race."
All of this hot racing action will take place in three venues:
* Saturday, March 10th: The Schuylkill Challenge Circuit Race
A gorgeous 6 mile loop through Philadelphia's magnificent Fairmount Park West. Racers begin at historic Memorial Hall, plunge down to the Schuylkill River for a long fast stretch, then push up a challenging hill only to fly back down twisting roads onto the river and another flat stretch capped by a sharp climb and tight chicane back to the home stretch under the arches of the Philadelphia Civil War Memorial. This is the longest and most scenic amateur road course ever held in Philadelphia and possibly any major US city, and it all started with the Philly Phlyer collegiate weekend. To replenish themselves from this hard racing, the winner's team for each collegiate category will receive an excellent gift pack from Accelerade.
* Sunday, March 11th: The Trophy Bikes Team Time Trial
An 8.5 mile, near perfect course for a TTT. Racers take a quick descent down onto the Schuylkill River to gain some speed, then head to the base of Philadelphia's famous art museum for the first turnaround before charging out and back on a long, amazingly flat riverside section sure to challenge their maximum speed. Each squad will have to work like clockwork to have a shot at achieving the fast times on this high speed course. As in 2006, the team time trial is supported by Trophy Bikes, a staple of Philadelphia's cycling scene, which believes that there's nothing in cycling more beautiful than teamwork and collegiate racing. To reward their commitment to working together, Trophy Bikes will once again be giving fun prizes to the winning squad in each category.
* Sunday, March 11th: The Philly Phlyer Criteriums
Changing location this year, the 2007 criteriums will be held on the traditional, storied Memorial Hall loop. Four corners, zero elevation change, and one kilometer of wide, smooth roads make this the canonical crit course. A deceptive ride, this course is anything but simple when big fields hit the road and the fur starts flying in this wide open shootout. Ideal for spectating, this is a great beginner's course while simultaneously requiring big quads, stellar pack riding, and superb intuition to excel.
Voted the best ECCC race of 2006, the Phlyer's promoters aim to make it the best of both the ECCC and ACCC in 2007. UPenn race director Alex Wooten notes "One of the things that made 2006 great was how smoothly everything ran, and I think we're set to keep that up even with many more racers. A lot of the 2006 crew is still heavily involved, including people that graduated, and JHU also brings a lot of race promotion experience to the table."
Sharing his thoughts, Johns Hopkins race director and Philadelphia native Clifton Smoot says "It's going to be sick fast. Those are sweet courses, and if you put that many people from both conferences on them, it's going to be high speed all the way. There's no doubt it'll be a total blast."
Official race flyers will be posted and registration opened in mid-February. Early registration for all collegiate categories will be $13 per racer per event and $20 per TTT squad. There will also be an Alumni/Open TTT category. All events held under USAC and NCCA rules and permits. Updates and more information are available on the Philly Phlyer website:
http://www.phillycyclist.com/phlyer/
The Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (ECCC) includes colleges in Delaware, New England, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The Atlantic Collegiate Cycling Conference (ACCC) includes colleges in Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina. As they compete from early March through April, teams vie for the top of season-long team point standings as well as Collegiate Road National Championships qualification spots. The inexpensive racing features team-oriented bicycle racing for all abilities with team pride, glory, and honor as the only prize list. More information and links can be found on the National Collegiate Cycling Association and ECCC websites at http://www.usacycling.org/ncca/ and http://www.eccc-info.com/.
