Hi BCC,

Below is the teaser for collegiate mountain biking season.  Interested in racing at a few events?  Interested in watching?  Lots of fun all over the northeast in Sept & Oct.  For those interested in participating (there are beginner categories), contact your BCC team captains & club leaders (not me!) -- more info will be posted on the list soon (I believe).

Best,
Kate.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Joseph Kopena <tjkopena@... >


ECCC,

The best time of year is nearly at hand: Eastern Collegiate Mountain
Bike Season!

[[ Upcoming ]]

On deck to start off the season are these can't-be-missed events:


Sep 8/9: Season Opener @ Lehigh University (XC/STXC/DH/DH)

  - The Mountaintop Classic's back in action after a short hiatus and
    better than ever, with cross country, short track, and two
    downhill events on tap this year.  Lehigh's always put on a great
    weekend and they're sure to put on something even better this year
    with the addition of STXC and another downhill course.  Pre-reg is
    by emailed team roster, so check out the flyer and get rolling!

    http://eccc-info.com/2007/flyers/2007_09_07_lehigh.pdf


Sep 15: UConn Churn & Burn 8-hour Enduro (XC Enduro)

  - Once again teaming up with Genesis Adventures' 24hr Churn and
    Burn, UConn's near-ideal endurance race is back for yet another
    year.  This is a great event for a team of beginners, being more a
    test of stamina and guts than technical riding skills.  It also
    features a great atmosphere with tons of racers and camping
    on-site.  Don't be a wimp, get you and your team signed up today!


http://www.genesisadventures.com/v3/main.php?left=mtbikenav&head=mtbike&center=series_2007%20Churn%20and%20Burn&flash=mtbike



Sep 16: MIT Wompatuck Whatchamacallit (XC/STXC)

  - After a smashing debut in 2006, MIT's Wompatuck extravaganza is
    back again and even bigger.  Located just outside Boston, this is
    a fast but challenging XC course and wickedly fun STXC venue.  MIT
    will be breaking out the big guns from their road team for this;
    all you MTBers out there better rally the troops and make sure
    they don't show everyone up!  Pre-registration is open now!

    http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=5245
    http://eccc-info.com/2007/flyers/2007_09_16_mit.pdf


Sep 22/23: UMass Campus Assault (XC/STXC/DS/DH)

  - Let's just put it out there: UMass loves mountain biking.  They
    eat it, breath it, live it.  You don't want to miss this event, it
    *is* MTB heart and soul.  Custom designed by Alex Duggan and his
    crew of experts, this, as they say, is the show.  Featuring
    on-campus XC courses and gravity at Jiminy Peak, they've been out
    day and night since April fine-tuning the awesome.  Be there!

    http://eccc-info.com/2007/flyers/2007_10_22_umass.pdf


As always the full calendar is at http://eccc-info.com, check it out!


[[ What Are You Talking About? ]]

Collegiate mountain biking.  It's the best thing ever.  For the
uninitiated, here's the scoop:

The ECCC's 2007 MTB season will run from September 8th to October 14th.
Most weekends feature multiple events:

  Cross Country (XC): Traditional mountain biking.  You, in the woods,
  on everything from fire roads to gnarly singletrack to evil, evil
  rock gardens.  It's very zen and a test of both endurance and
  technical riding skills.  Most courses can be done on anything from
  rigids to high tech, tricked-out, dual shock setups.

  Short Track Cross Country (STXC): XC on speed.  Take a cross country
  course and shrink it down to a 20 to 30 minute race on a course 45
  to 120 seconds long.  It's mostly a test of fast twitch muscles,
  cornering, and getting around other riders.  Completely ridiculous
  and not very zen, but a total riot to race and watch.

  Dual Slalom (DS): A 30 to 75 second, two-up shootout down a swooping
  course complete with table jumps, berms, and banked corners.  It's
  about letting it all hang out and sprinting every chance you get.
  Some courses can be done on XC bikes, though most require special
  gear, especially to compete in upper categories.  Armor encouraged.

  Downhill (DH): The biggest speed rush in cycling---a straight drop
  down the side of a mountain.  Courses are ~4 minutes of insane
  drops, obstacles, and corners in a time trial to the bottom.  Almost
  all courses require tough downhill bikes and tougher riders to
  handle the punishment.  Going without armor is truly foolish.

All ECCC MTB events run Men's A, B, and C, and Women's A and B
categories.  Riders do not have to race in the same category
for both cross-counry (XC & STXC) and gravity (DS & DH) events.


[[ Not On The ECCC Trolley? ]]

Talk to Mark Abramson (mark@...) or Joe Kopena
(tjkopena@...) about starting a team at your school!


--
- joseph kopena
  right here and now