Don’t forget folks that the UCI Road World Championships (Sep. 23-28) and will be broadcast live.

(Boulder Colo.) September 16, 2008 With a short week to go the field is almost set for the first cyclocross showdown of the season at CrossVegas. Both the men’s and women’s field will feature strong fields of competitors including many riders just off of a summer of racing including the Beijing Olympic Games and the just concluded Tour of Missouri.

CrossVegas takes place Wednesday September 24 at the Desert Breeze Soccer Complex in Las Vegas located a few miles from the famous “Vegas Strip.” Timed to take place during the Interbike trade show, CrossVegas attracted over 5,000 spectators in its first year in 2007.

The evening of racing kick off with the “Alpha Q Wheelers and Dealers Race” featuring bicycle industry participants vying for bragging rights in categories that include media, manufacturer, retailer, distributor and advocacy.

In the “Scott USA Elite Men’s Race” look for inaugural CrossVegas winner Ryan Trebon to bring his always strong form to Las Vegas where he will line up with fellow Kona strongman Barry Wicks. The duo used their collective strength last year to set up Trebon’s last lap attack that took him to victory.

Just a few of the others on the start line will be:
- Jonathan Page, silver medalist in the 2007 world championships now racing for the Planet Bike team
- Tim Johnson and Jeremy Powers of the Cyclocrossworld.com Team, both coming from strong performances in the Tour of Missouri will be
- Craig Adams of Team Giant and Todd Wells of GT who are coming off of Beijing Olympic racing
- Tony Cruz of the BC Racing Team who just completed a strong road season that included the Tour of Missouri

Of special note is Thomas Frishknecht of the Scott-Swisspower Team who will be competing in the final event of his 19-year career. Frischknecht has selected CrossVegas as his final race in the U.S. with longtime sponsors Scott USA and Ritchey Design pitching in to throw a farewell celebration that promises to be unforgettable.

The “Scott USA Elite Women’s Race” will be without a returning champion with the retirement of Lyne Bessette but the talent pool will be just as deep. Katie Compton of the Spike Shooter team finished 2nd in the 2007 race and promises to start the new season equally strong.

Other riders to watch include:
- Luna Women’s Team riders Katerina Nash and Georgia Gould, finished 3rd and 4th last year and should be eager to challenge Compton for the top step of the podium
- Wendy Simms cracked the top ten in 2007 and should be eager to climb up the ranking
- Rachel Lloyd has consistently finished strongly in key events and will be closely watched

New to CrossVegas this year is the Double Down at Mandalay Bay award that will recognize those riders with a vacation prize for the top men and women riders who compete in both CrossVegas the USA CRITS Finals scheduled the next night.

BISSELL Pro Cycling (BPC) has compiled its eight-man roster for the 2008 Tour of Missouri. The team will field the majority of their successful 2008 Tour of California and Tour de Georgia squads, an aggressive group that is not afraid to challenge big league European teams.

Jacques-Maynes makes his return to the road after a warm-up in Greenville at the USA Pro Championship road race last Sunday. That race served as what Jacques–Maynes hoped would be a final effort to bring him back to form after a near two-month respite following a crash at the Cascade Cycling Classic that left him sidelined with a broken collar bone. (more…)