For SoCalCross, new sponsor means equal prize money between elite men and women

The Southern California Prestige Series has brought on board an additional sponsor for the December 1 and 2 CXLA weekend and with the addition of Cardo Systems, SoCalCross will offer equal prize money to the top five in the elite men’s and elite women’s races.

“The SoCalCross mission is to increase participation of women and juniors in the sport of cyclocross and in cycling for recreation and transportation in general,” said series promoter Dorothy Wong in a statement.

The move places the upcoming weekend in line with the small — but growing — number of races offering equalized prize money for men’s and women’s fields, including events in the Trek U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross series and the Shimano New England Professional Cyclocross series.

SoCalCross is an 18-round cyclocross series run largely in Southern California, with rounds in more northerly cities such as San Luis Obispo and Los Olivos as well.

The first day of this weekend’s racing, held in Los Angeles Historic State Park in downtown Los Angeles, is a UCI C2 event for the elite men and women and is the finale for the Cross After Dark series.

Last year, Tim Johnson (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) won the elite men’s race on day one, with Ben Berden (Raleigh-Clement) winning on day two. Meredith Miller (Cal Giant-Specialized), who recently recovered from a hand injury, won both days’ elite women’s races in 2012 and will make her return to UCI racing after a two-month absence.