USGP #1 and #2

What a beautiful weekend in Gloucester!

If you have never been to Massachusetts in the fall, you should go. Gorgeous colors as the trees begin to shed their leaves, few tourists and PLENTY o’ bike racing…

Almost 70 women started each day which is more than I can recall ever lining up before. Cyclocross is truly taking off here in the US and there were at least as many spectators (not just racers) attending the Gloucester races as there were at most of the NORBAs this year. What a fantastic scene!

The Velo Bella tent was BY FAR the most colorful and commented on set-up at the race with streamers, grass skirting and gorgeous bikes hanging on the Ultimate Support racks up front. The beautiful bike racers didn’t hurt either!

While Lyne Bessette, Wendy Simms and Georgia Gould battled for podium positions on both days, the true sensation of the weekend was Dee Dee “Grasshopper” Winfield of the Bellas. Dee Dee lives in Charlottesville, VA and is a natural born locomotive… She was pregnant last year, and so her starting position on Sunday was anything but spectacular, nonetheless, in three laps she powered past almost the entire field and had the announcers, pit crews and spectators saying, “Who is THAT?” Oh, she’s just a Bella bike racer who has already won two events this season; including dropping Georgia Gould at the Charm City Cross race in Baltimore a few weeks ago… Grasshopper’s latest race report can be read here…

Fact is, all the girls did a fantastic job of representing themselves, the Velo Bella organization, our sponsors and their products. Dee Dee merely stood out because no one (but me) expected her to do what she did. Keep an eye on the results this year, the Grasshopper will be hopping all the way to Providence…

Alex