THE LEGENDARY “GRANOGUE ‘CROSS”

The “Queen of the MAC” Kicks-Off 2007 MAC Season

Press Contact Information: Verge MAC Cyclocross Series

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

October 9, 2007; Wilmington, Delaware, USA : When the MAC Cyclocross series starts its internationally-ranked series on October 20; nearly 500 racers will be chasing the Holy Grail of Mid-Atlantic dirt racing -- the coveted Pink Flamingo trophy signifying victory at the legendary “Granogue ‘Cross”. Held on the front yard of the sprawling hilltop estate of one of America’s richest industrialists, the picturesque Granogue course is universally recognized as one of the best anywhere. From sticky mud to high-speed asphalt, Granogue’s catalog of course obstacles includes everything except a killer rabbit. “Our race course is no flat-ass Belgianesque wanna-be,” says Granogue’s quirky promoter, Tom McDaniel, “It’s a full-on American cross with monster hills and all sorts of excellent stuff like that.” McDaniel fondly remembers the first time CyclocrossWorld.com founder Stu Thorne saw the property, “He was just getting out of his car, and he looked at me wide-eyed and said ‘It’s a cyclocross playground!’”.

The race’s history only adds to its legend. It was here last year that Katie Compton made her UCI debut. That debut culminated several months later in a silver medal at the World Championships for the affable Compton, who grew up just a few miles away and graduated from nearby University of Delaware. On the men’s side, it’s easy to list the top elite riders who have competed at Granogue. “All of them, every year” laughs Verge MAC Media Director Ken Getchell. “Every domestic-based pro comes to this race every year. There are too many points, and there is too much prestige for them to miss it.”

While the course and competition at Granogue are legendary, it is the superb assistance McDaniel receives from the Delaware Cross Coalition of Delaware (DCCoD) that enables this race to achieve that status. The DCCoD, an unofficial group of racers from various clubs, are willing to go to extraordinary lengths to grow the sport of cycling in Delaware. What is most remarkable is that the McDaniel and his fellow DCCoD “moose” don’t just organize the race -- they improve and grow it every year. It takes an incredible amount of time and effort just to stage a world-class event annually, but it’s exponentially more difficult to improve a world-class event every year. Yet, that’s exactly what the DCCoD does. As McDaniel says, “Every member of the DCCoD exudes excellence and dedication.”

On October 20, the legend of will grow again as the racers from around the world compete with America’s greatest cyclists -- and new names are entered into the history books as champions of the Granogue ‘Cross. For more information about the Granogue ‘Cross, including directions and pre-registration, see BikeReg.com. While there, don’t forget to also enter the following day’s Wissahickon UCI C2 Cyclocross, the second round of the 2007 Verge MAC Cyclocross Series.

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