MidAtlantic Cross

NO ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM AT ROCKBURN CROSS

Press Contact Information: Rockburn Cross

Ken Getchell, Media Director: kenmacpr@yahoo.com; 610-397-1950

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 30, 2007; Conshohocken, PA, USA: Matt Brancheau and his Lateral Stress Velo crew have pulled out all the stops for the first running of Rockburn Cross in Elkridge Maryland on December 9. Most impressive is the relationship LSV has developed with the government of Howard County, which owns the Rockburn Branch Park where the race will be held. Rather than the usual tenant-landlord relationship, Howard County has come on board as a full-blown co-promoter of the race. “They want to see more people using their park facilities,” said Brancheau, “and they’re excited about co-hosting this race.”

It’s clear that LSV has put just as much thought and effort into the course design itself. “From talking to a lot of racers, the most important thing to them is really the course. Is it fun and hard? When we first went to Rockburn, we thought, 'What can we make of this place? So, we utilized the octopus-on-shamrocks school of design which features large out-and-back loops as opposed to a tight, folded, endoplasmic reticulum layout." This, of course, is highly welcome and anticipated news for longsuffering racers who have been patiently awaiting a race that didn’t utilize an endoplasmic reticulum layout.

However, and at the risk of appearing ignorant, we asked Brancheau if he might describe LSV's Rockburn Branch Park course using slightly more commonplace terms. Fortunately, Brancheau was happy to oblige. "Big loops make for a longer, faster, flowing course that covers a lot of different terrain. After a few recon trips we had strung together a course that was about 13 minutes or around 5km, give or take, before adding any corners. Of course, this was too long and not technical enough. So we had to start lopping parts off and adding corners and barriers and the like. Our coursemeister Bernie Shiao whittled the course down to 3.3km with the help of Chip Sovek, Kris Auer, Chris Nystrom, Chris Harshman, Shawn Downing, Elizabeth Harlow, a bunch of LSV-ers, and one race-speed scrimmage. The Elite Men should be able to turn it in 8 minutes. Visibility is better and the course is more compact."

Designed not only to be a great circuit to close the Mid-Atlantic season, but to also be an excellent warm-up to the following week’s U.S. National Championships, Brancheau is undeniably proud of LSV's layout. "There’s something at Rockburn to refine every skill, with surfaces ranging from tarmac to sand. There are tight corners and long flowing sections, lots of climbing but also active recovery sections, sustained efforts and explosive bursts, barriers and off-camber corners. This course has everything,” says Brancheau, grinning, “except endoplasmic reticulum; its not eukaryotic.”

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