Changes in MABRA 'Cross Series, Yo

BIG CHANGES FOR 2007 BikeReg.com MABRAcross SERIES

More $ for Women, New Elite and Master Class Structure for 2007

Press contact information:
Ken Getchell, MABRAcross Media Director
kenmacpr@yahoo.com, 610-397-1950

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 17, 2007; Conshohocken, PA, USA: Big changes are on tap for the 2007 BikeReg.com MABRAcross series as the burgeoning Masters class will be split in two and the Elite Women will be racing for roughly the same prize money as the Elite Men, . “In 2006, the BikeReg.com MABRAcross Series had top women competitors like Dee Dee Winfield, Georgia Gould, Melanie Swartz and Lisa Vible, who won last year’s championship,” said MABRAcross Series Coordinator Chip Sovek. “In fact, Dee Dee first exploded into prominence when she beat Georgia at our season-opening Charm City Cyclocross in Baltimore last year. We want to build on that and develop an even bigger women’s presence in cyclocross generally, and in MABRAcross specifically, by establishing parity in the Men’s and Women’s purses. While several races within the series have already been exceeding the minimum payout for women, the additional assistance we are receiving from BikeReg.com will allow all the races to bump up to this level.”

On the men’s side, the competition for that prize money will be tougher than ever, thanks to the new “Double M” format. At the MABRA promoter’s meeting in February, it was agreed to split the Masters class in two based on the new USAC license categories, with the elite-level 35+ racers competing head-to-head with the open-class elites in the Men’s Feature race. “This change means that the Men’s Feature race at every BikeReg.com MABRAcross event will be more competitive and deeper in talent than ever before,” says series Media Director Ken Getchell. “Finally, all of the fastest racers will be on the track at the same time.” Like the Under 23 Espoir riders in many UCI races, the Elite Masters will be racing as a subset of the Open Elite Feature race, not as a separate class, and will be competing against the Open Elite “young guns” for the same purse at every race -- as well as for special “preme” prizes offered just to the “old” guys. The top Elite 35+Masters, like “nearly undefeated” Richard Mihills and Kris Auer will also be trying to dethrone Sean Galegher as the overall Elite season points champion, as well as competing for their own age-graded season points championship.

Conversely, now that the elite racers (who often entered the Pro/1/2 race anyway) are racing in the Feature, the ordinary “working class Joe’s” who make up the bulk of the Master’s division (and for whom the division was originally created) will now have the class to themselves. Under the old system, a recently-retired World Champion, like Lance Armstrong or Marty Nothstein, could have come out of retirement and beat up on the weekend warriors in the Masters class instead of racing with other elite-level competition. “We’ve closed that loophole,” says BikeReg.com MABRAcross Coordinator Chip Sovek. “Yes, the Cat 1,2,3 masters will have to race one or two additional laps, but for the Cat 3,4 masters this will open the competition up for them!”

With these changes, the BikeReg.com MABRAcross series expects to maintain its leadership as the fastest growing cycling series in America. For more information on the 2007 BikeReg.com MABRAcross Series, see www.mabra.org or contact Director Chip Sovek at cyclox@mabra.org.