April
3, 2001 (Boston) - "Rage Boston," New England's largest mountain
biking club* is now composed of nearly 500 active riders in
the greater Boston area, Cape, Berkshires, New Hampshire, Maine
and Vermont.
Last year,
the club launched Team Harpoon, a mountain bike racing team
with a unique approach to grass roots racing: anyone in the
club is welcome to race for the team from beginners to experts
and pros. All have first-come, first-serve access to sponsorships.
"Our mission is to introduce mountain bike racing to anyone
who's got the guts to give it a try. We want to make it that
easy. Our beginner racers work out and race on weekends with
our best experts and pro riders. It's a great approach," says
team coach Doug Hoch. "That fits Rage's club mission to a tee--anyone
who's interested can participate in Rage group rides for all
abilities seven days a week at no cost. Rager's will teach skills
to new riders, show you great trails and a great time. This
year our riders will be screaming 'Harpoon' and 'International'
all the way down the hill."
In it's
first-ever season of racing in 2000, Team Rage / Harpoon scored
two New England Championships. "The 2000 racing season led to
great results -- two New England Championships, a 24-hour win,
the Rhode Island Cup, 30 first place finishes and 35 top three
finishes. Over 60 riders wore the Harpoon colors during the
season -- all in our first year of racing as a team," said Hoch.
"We're
thrilled to have Harpoon -- New England's premier craft brewer
-- back as our primary sponsor," says team manager Jon McNeill.
"Harpoon has such a long-standing commitment to cycling -- especially
to mountain biking and encouraging easy access to the sportthey
are a natural fit with us. We're proud to wear their colors
and promote New England's best beer."
The Rage
Boston mountain bike racing team is proud to announce it's team
sponsors for it's second season of racing: Harpoon Brewery,
International Bicycle Centers, Gary Fisher, Santa Cruz, and
California Dried Plums are leading sponsors along with Pedros,
Panaracer, Bell and Hayes as product sponsors.
"In addition
to Harpoon, I can't say enough about Mary Ellen Fletcher's efforts
on behalf of International Bicycle Centers, Gary Fisher and
Santa Cruz. Mary Ellen believes in our approach to grass roots
racing and did an enormous amount of work to bring Gary Fisher
and Santa Cruz into the fold. Our top cross country riders will
be riding full suspension Fisher Sugars and our top downhill
riders will ride Santa Cruz Super 8's, largely due to Mary Ellen's
efforts. Club riders and team members have access to the same
bikes that our sponsored riders are using. We're proud to have
New England's largest club affiliated with Boston's leading
bicycle retailer and we're proud to be riding Gary Fisher and
Santa Cruz," McNeill said.
Together
Rage, Harpoon and International will partner on several events
in 2001 including demo rides (featuring Fisher and Santa Cruz
bikes), supporting charity rides (Project Bread and the Pan-Mass
Challenge rides), and more. Look for details in cycling magazines
as well as the club's website at www.ragemtb.com.
What started
as a weekly group mountain bike ride in the Boston area a few
years ago has quickly mushroomed into something much bigger.
As New England's largest mountain biking club*, "Rage Boston"
is now composed of nearly 500 active riders in the greater Boston
area, Cape, Berkshires, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont.
"There's
clearly a huge mountain-biking community in the greater Boston
that just needed a way to connect" says founding member Alex
Knowles. "Our email ride postings just sort of took off. Now
we've got about 150 riders participating weekly in group rides
during the season."
"The racing
comes right out of that approach. We believe grass roots racing
is really where the crowds are in the sport today and that provides
a great venue for sponsors like Harpoon and International to
get the word out about their products," adds McNeill. The team
will race in the EFTA New England Championship Series races,
Trail 66 Downhill races and several NORBA National Championship
series and 24-hour events. Fully Sponsored Riders include:
| Name |
Class |
2000
Rank/Top
Finished |
|
| Ben
Moody |
Pro
Male - XC |
#2
New England Championship Series |
|
| Nate
Ringquist |
Expert
Junior Male - XC |
Male
USA Cycling Junior Development Racer |
|
| Joselle
Crandall |
Sport
- Female - XC |
#2 NORBA New England/Trail 66 Series |
|
| Jody
Stoddard |
PRO Male - DH |
#2
NORBA New England/Trail 66 Series |
|
| Dale
Stephanos |
Expert
Male - XC |
Team
Spiritual Leader, 12th Hillsboro, 27th Mt. Wash. Hill Climb |
|
| Chris
Smith |
Expert
Male - XC |
3rd
Vermont 50 Miler |
|
| Allen
Myers |
Sport
Male - DH |
#1
NORBA New England/Trail 66 Series |
|
| Stephen
Marshall |
Sport
Male - DH |
#2
NORBA New England/Trail 66 Series |
|
| Matt
Mulligan |
Sport
Male - DH |
#6
NORBA New England/Trail 66 Series |
|
| Dave
Currie |
Sport
Male - XC |
1st
Killington Triathlon, 3rd Vt. 50 Miler |
|
| Don
Grahn |
Sport Male - XC |
2nd
Natıl Championship Series, Mt. Snow; 1st Killington |
|
| Doug
Hoch |
Sport
Male - XC |
Team
Coach, 1st Hillsboro Classic, 5th Solo 24-Hours of Great
Glen |
|
Rage Boston
also sponsors a junior racing team for those too young to partake
of Harpoon, but these guys and gals ride faster than most us
in the club. Team Sluggers Dugout / International Bikes is going
into its third year sponsored by Slugger's Dugout in Boston's
Fanuiel Hall and International Bicycle Centers. While the club's
original philosophy is "just to ride", this does not
mean that members are disrespectful or irresponsible regarding
environmental issues. Many of our members belong to NEMBA, NEMBA
does a remarkable job at maintaning the local trails and dealing
with the local trail access issues (www.nemba.org).
Founded
in 1986, the Harpoon Brewery distributes its locally brewed
products throughout the Northeast. The Harpoon Brewery's line
of craft beer features nine year-round beers, including its
signature Harpoon I.P.A., and four special seasonal selections.
In June 2000, the Harpoon Brewery purchased the Catamount Brewery
in Windsor, Vermont. For information on Brewery Tours and events,
call 1-888-HARPOON or visit their website at www.harpoonbrewery.com.
International
Bicycle Centers in the Boston-area's largest bicycle retailer
and has locations in Brighton and Newton, Massachusetts. International
features Gary Fisher, Trek, Santa Cruz, Klein, Specialized,
LeMond, Merlin, Independent Fabrications, Pedros and other top
brands.
*While
Rage is the largest club, NEMBA, the New England Mountain Bike
Association, is the largest area mountain biking association.
"NEMBA offers rides, works to preserve public trails and
promotes responsible riding for New England mountain bikers."
-www.nemba.org
