Augusta Cross Sees Record Attendance

By Buck Walters

The weather was once again all-you-could-ask-for at the fourth and final event in the Augusta Cyclocross Series, co-hosted by Skylands Cycling and Team Bulldog, New Jersey’s largest mountain bike club. Sunny skies, light wind, and temps well into the forties marked the fourth straight week of full-tilt cooperation from mother nature. Maybe it was the weather, or the booming popularity of cross, or a combination of both, but the popular Augusta Series, which started four years ago as little more than a training series for the local clubs, experienced a doubling in attendance over last year. A total of 470 riders turned out to race on the 3k track at the scenic Sussex County Fairgrounds.

“There’s no doubt,” said co-promoter Brian Lariviere, of Team Bulldog. “Cross is exploding. We’re getting racers from mountain biking, road biking, and kids who never raced before.” Only fifty miles from New York City, Augusta is the local Cyclocross venue for millions of people, including New York City, and New Yorkers account for 40% of the riders.

The Augusta track, designed by a couple of visiting European pros, is well liked by the riders. “It’s the fairest course we race on,” observed Colavita’s Rich Bauch, a masters rider who competes all over the east. Because the venue is so big, the track never doubles back on itself, although there are plenty of twists and turns. With two run-ups and a set of barriers, the course is largely UCI compliant, transitioning frequently from grass to asphalt to gravel and back again.

“One of the things the riders seem to like is that we use a lot of little flags, thousands, really, and not that much tape,” said Bob Cary of Skylands Cycling. “Tape just doesn’t hold up to the wind for four weeks. Could somebody cut the course? Maybe, but we’d catch them. It hasn’t been a problem.”

The Augusta grass, packed down by thousands of cars that park on it for the New Jersey State Fair, resists muddiness well. And if a section does get muddy, there is always plenty of room for a parallel track. Riders circle a pond, cross an 18 th century bridge, and weave in and out of the long and narrow horse barns which played such a vital role in what locals call the “epic flood race” of November 27, 2004, when a flash flood covered parts of the course in 5 feet of water in mid race. See "Cross Rain. Next year, the venue owners have promised to provide a set of bleachers for spectators, whose numbers are increasing at least as fast as the riders.

Overall series winners included Verge/Test Pilot’s Ed Burgess, in the 45+, who was also the single speed champion in the Hudson to Highlands regional mountain bike series. New Jersey’s BAR champion Larry Towner of Liberty Cycle was second, while teammate Tom Bowmaster was second.

Kansas Waugh, riding for Amino Vitale took the overall in the C race, while Northeastern Hardware’s Jeff Oliver won the series B competition. In the A series, the strength and teamwork of the CRCA/Team Axis trio of Zoltan Tisza, Kevin Molloy earned them the top three places. Local rider Kurt Dericks of Skylands Cycling was fourth and Roger Aspholm, who raced twice and won twice, was fifth.