Following a record turnout last week, the BikeReg.com MABRAcross series continues this Saturday, October 4 with the 5th Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Cyclocross Challenge at the Hagerstown (Maryland) Fairgrounds.  Promoted by Antietam Velo Club/Team Hagerstown-Washington County, the beneficiary of Saturday’s race is Breast Cancer Awareness of the Cumberland Valley (www.bcacv.org), which last year received $3,500 from the race.  This year, with additional assistance from sponsors Hagerstown Trust, Landmark Equipment, Clif Bar and DeFeet, the organizers are predicting a significant  increase in the number of entries will increase the event’s donation to Breast Cancer Awareness of Cumberland Valley. 

Taking advantage of the fair’s large grandstands, the venue at the Hagerstown Fairgrounds has traditionally been constructed in a way to allow participants and spectators to view most of the action from one central location.  From the racer’s standpoint, this year’s course has been lengthened to accommodate not only the ever-increasing numbers of racers that are competing in the BikeReg.com MABRAcross series, but also to give the organizers an opportunity to add more difficulty to the course.  

According to the race’s lead promoter and well-known race announcer Joe Jefferson, this is more than a race – it’s personal, “Janet Lung, the wife of my co-promoter (Tim Lung), is a Breast Cancer survivor.  The team took on the promotion of this event four years ago, since the illness had hit so close to home.  We believe that everyone in the cycling community “know somebody who knows somebody” that has been touched by this illness.”   

Every cyclocross in the Mid-Atlantic region has seen record-breaking turnouts in 2008, and most have closed classes to new entries because those classes reached field limits.  The organizers are strongly urging anybody who wants to compete in the Breast Cancer Awareness Cyclocross Challenge to register ahead of time.  For more information phone either 301-739-5653 /  301 331-1129.