Unique start grid for call-ups at NCL Cup races The inaugural season for the National Cycling League and its invitation-only criterium series, the NCL Cup, comes to a climax in Atlanta, Georgia this weekend. The two league-owned teams have dominated thus far, Denver Disruptors and Miami Nights, and only 18 points separate the squads going into the grand finale.
There are no chances for any of the other eight co-ed teams to catch the two, the Miami Nights leading with one race to go. Goldman Sachs ETFS Racing (women)/ Texas Roadhouse Cycling Team (men) secured third place in Denver last week, and they are 248 points away from second-placed Denver Disruptors .
It is a runaway two-team showdown for Atlanta, much like a Super Bowl title or a College Football Playoff national championship, both hosted by Atlanta in the past. The ‘ATL’ has become a magnet for men’s and women’s professional sports and the NCL wants to be part of the headlines and win fans in the deep South and across the US.
“Atlanta has a wonderful bike community. I’ve seen Atlanta in our forecasts and plans in the future moving forward,” Andrea Pagnanelli, CEO of the National Cycling League, told Cyclingnews in an exclusive one-on-one interview. “You know, we’re sitting here on Tuesday, August 15, coming off of another successful event in Denver. The first race of the season [had] 20,000 people on site, a $20 million impact to Miami Beach. You know, that’s been a testament to what we’re able […]
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