January 26, 2012
ATRA National Championship Series opens in Frisco May 12-13 with Megan Baab Cup and Matrix Track Cup p/b Richardson Bike Mart
The fifth edition of the Matrix Track Cup will be offered as a two-day bike racing event on the weekend of May 12-13, 2012. The race date was announced by The American Track Racing Association (ATRA), the Texas Bicycle Racing Association (TXBRA), the Superdrome in Frisco, and presenting race sponsor Richardson Bike Mart(RBM).
The event has grown to become what some consider the premier annual track racing event in the state of Texas, drawing consistently large fields from around the state, and from as far away as Florida, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The event has played a key role in the ATRA National Championship Series since the revival of the series in 2010. As a two-day event, the race also serves as a "double points" event for the TXBRA Texas Cup Track Series.
This year's Matrix Track Cup will memorialize one of the event's past participants, 19-year-old Megan Baab, who was killed while riding her bike last month in Altamont, NC. At the completion of this year's race weekend, the Elite Women's overall champion will be awarded the Megan Baab Cup. The weekend will also feature "Megan's Race", a Saturday night race open to all women track racers of all categories. "Neutral laps" in Megan's memory will also be incorporated during the program. "So many of us who knew Megan have been deeply affected by her passing", said Track Cup race secretary Lura Popovich. "We are looking forward to this celebration of her spirit in a venue where she enjoyed riding so much."
Last year's Matrix Track Cup introduced an "International Omnium" format for the Elite Men and Women – featuring the new format that will be included in the Olympics for the first time in 2012. This race offers both spectators and racers the opportunity to better familiarize themselves with this new 2-day "ALL-AROUND" format before it is contested later this summer in the 2012 London Games. Past editions of the Matrix Track Cup have featured several Olympic hopefuls in the field – and in an Olympic year it is anticipated that the 2012 event could bring even more.
The "club cyclists" are also welcome to participate. In addition to the feature events for the Elite Cyclists, a full slate of races are offered throughout the weekend for Amateur (Category 3), Novice (Category 4), Master (aged 40+), and Junior (Under 19) racers. The host Matrix Cycle Club fields a strong group of track racers on its Richardson Bike Mart Junior/Under-23 racing team, as well as offering contenders for every category of racing offered on the track. To be eligible to race, riders must hold a current USA Cycling track license (Category 4 or above), and be certified to ride on a 250 meter velodrome.
"The Superdrome is excited to welcome the ATRA NCS races series to Frisco for the third consecutive year," said track manager Tim Goodwin. "This is the fifth edition of the Matrix Track Cup, and it continues to grow in scope each year. We are grateful to The City of Frisco, Collin College, and Richardson Bike Mart, who help us bring a number of different cycling programs to Frisco and the entire North Texas community."
The race schedule features a variety of shorter "sprint-distance" races, as well as longer "endurance-distance" races. A traditional emphasis of the event has been on the endurance-based "Points Race" format where the race is scored not simply by the final sprint, but instead by tallying up points scored in a string of intermediate sprints spaced 10 laps apart during the race. The Elite Men will contest a 30km Points Race on Saturday, for a total of 120 laps (including 12 separate sprints). Other categories will run shorter versions of the same format race.
Matrix Track Cup p/b Richardson Bike Mart racing begins at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday May, 12, at the Superdrome in Frisco, TX. Admission and parking for spectators is FREE. Details and race registration are now available at txbra.org, superdrome.com, and bikereg.com.
Racing Schedule:
Saturday 2:00 p.m.: Juniors and Masters (Scratch Races, Points Races, Elimination Races)
Saturday 5:00 p.m.: Elite, Amateur, and Novice (Elite Flying Lap Time Trial, Scratch Races, Points Races, Elimination Races)
Sunday 9:00 a.m.: Elite and Open Pursuit Time Trial (4 kilometer/3 kilometer)
Sunday 10:00 a.m.: Juniors and Masters (ONE-KNOWN Distance, Point-A-Lap, Scratch Races, Points Races) and awards presentations.
Sunday 12:00 noon.: Elite, Amateur, and Novice (Kilometer/500m Time Trial, ONE-KNOWN Distance, Point-A-Lap, Scratch Races, Points Races) and awards presentations.
Contacts:
Race Director:
Drew Tucker
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