COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Oct. 31, 2017) — The Garden State and Ohio Valley staged events Oct. 28-29 for the eighth weekend of competitions on the Professional Cyclocross Calendar (ProCX). The rankings for the Elite Men and Junior 17-18 Men would see movement in the Top 10, while consistency for the Elite Women was reflected with a reshuffling in the Top 5.
Highland Park Cyclocross (HPCX) celebrated its 18th year, making it the second longest-running internationally-sanctioned cyclocross event in the country. The two days of racing at HPCX provided Category 2 events for Elite Women and Men.
Cincinnati Cyclocross Festival (Cincy CX), now in its 14th season, provided C1 and C2 UCI races for the weekend at two separate venues. The C1 events on Oct. 28 were contested in the amphitheater area of Devou Park in Covington, Ky., while the second day was staged on the north side of the Ohio River at T. William Harbin Park, in Fairfield, Ohio. It was the third stop of the ProCX circuit for coveted points for the Junior 17-18 Men. Cincy CX also provided points for the elite riders for ShoAir US Cup-CX Series.
The most notable advance in the ProCX standings was taken by Stephen Hyde (Easthampton, Mass./Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com), who overtook Tobin Ortenblad (Santa Cruz, Calif./Santa Cruz/Donkey Label Racing) for the lead in the Elite Men’s standings. Hyde won both contests at Cincy CX to take maximum points. Ortenblad finished out of the Top 10 both days at Cincy CX, but sits only 14 points behind Hyde in the overall standings. The next big move was made by 19-year-old Ohio-native Spencer Petrov (Mason, Ohio/Aspire Racing), who moved from fifth to third overall in the standings thanks to a second-place finish in the C1 race behind Hyde.
“It was a special weekend for me to be back racing in Cincinnati, which had been my home for the past 12-plus years. Racing in front of my friends and family gave me a great boost of confidence going into the weekend. Now I’m looking forward to going to Louisville, which I consider a second home, for the Derby City Cup,” said Petrov about his season racing in the Elite Men category. “I really couldn’t have asked for anything better for my first half of the season. I’ve been super consistent and at the front of the races every weekend ,and that was something I wanted to do this year so I’m pleased with that.”
Kerry Werner (Birdsboro, Penn./Kona Factory CX Team) and Jeremy Powers (Jeremy Powers from Southampton, Mass./Aspire Racing) shifted down one spot each to fourth and fifth overall, respectively.
New names in the Top 10 include Jack Kisseberth (Westhampton, Mass./JAM/ NCC) of Westhampton, Mass. and Justin Lindine (North Ogden, Utah/Apex/NBX/Hyperthreads). Kisseberth, now eighth overall, had two podiums at HPCX including his first win of the ProCX season on Saturday. Lindine, now ninth overall, was second and third in the two C2 events at HPCX.
For the Elite Women, Kaitlin Keough (Racine, Wisc./Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) continued her dominance as the overall leader with a C1 win and a third-place in the C2 contest at Cincy CX. Her 636 total points provide a 92-point margin over Ellen Noble (Kennebunkport, Maine/Aspire Racing). Noble kept pace with Keough on the podium this past weekend, winning the C2 event and finishing third in the C1 race.
“It was really hard out there. It was technical with the mud,” Keough said about the water-logged track at Devou Park on Saturday. “I am strong running in the mud, so that’s good. I made a few mistakes, but I feel like that is expected because it is our first muddy race of the season.”
About her goals going to Louisville, Keough said it would be a successful Derby City Cup by “Having the best ride that I possibly can and finishing the last US Cup series race on a great note!! I have a decent lead in the series, so hopefully I can come home with the title.”
The balance of the Top 5 reshuffled following Cincy CX, with Emma White (Delanson, N.Y./Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) taking over the third position. She finished fourth and second at the Cincy CX races. Caroline Mani (Besancon, France/Van Dessel/ Atom Composites) used a runner-up result from the C1 race at Cincy CX to move into fourth overall. Crystal Anthony (Newbury Park, Calif./Maxxis-Shimano) had only one Top 10 placing in Cincinnati to drop two spots in the ProCX standings to fifth overall.
Samantha Runnels (Austin, Texas/Squid Bikes) made it two-for-two at HPCX to gain 70 points and move into the Top 20, now 17th overall. Lily Williams (Asheville, N.C./Pony Shop CX Team) used her third-place and fourth-place finishes in the two days in N.J. to move three positions and into the 19th spot.
For the Junior 17-18 Men, Lane Maher (Harwinton, Conn./Hot Tubes Development Cycling) had a hot streak on two chilly days in Ohio with back-to-back wins. He was the big mover in the Junior standings, vaulting from seventh to second overall. Using his pair of second-place finishes at Cincy CX, Alex Morton (Saint Clair, Mich./Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) jumped into third overall. Benjamin Gomez Villafane (Scotts Valley, Calif./Top Club Cyclocross) continues to lead the Junior 17-18 Men’s standings with 278 total points. He scored a third and fourth at Cincy CX. All three leaders have 200 or more points.
A new cyclocross course at Joe Creason Park in Louisville, Ky. will debut at the 11th annual Derby City Cup for competitions Nov. 4-5. Races on Saturday will feature UCI C2 events and ProCX points for four categories - Junior 17-18 Men, U-23 Men, Elite Women, and Elite Men. To add to the prestige of Derby City Cup, the series finals of the ShoAir US Cup-CX will be part of Saturday’s elite races. On Sunday, athletes from 41 nations of the Pan-American Cycling Confederation will vie for the Pan-American Cyclocross Championships.
On the line in the ShoAir US Cup-CX Series will be a $35,000 prize purse, to be shared equally among Elite Women and Men. Kaitie Keough (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com) of Racine, Wisc. keeps her lead for the women with a slim 25-point margin over teammate Emma White of Delanson, N.Y. Hyde now has a 70-point lead over Werner for the men.
The final event for this year’s American Cyclocross Calendar (ACXC) will be held on Nov. 5. The ProCX races are part two days of races at the Really Rad Festival of Cyclocross, presented by Corner Cycle Cape Cod in Falmouth. It is the second year for the Really Rad Festival of Cyclocross, held at the Cape Cod Fairgrounds.
USA Cycling’s ProCX features the premier cyclocross events in America and uses an overall ranking system to determine the best individual male and female ‘cross racers over the course of the season. The 2017 ProCX schedule provides a total of 43 race days across 18 states and the District of Columbia. For information on the ProCX, visit www.usacycling.org/procx/. Follow Pro CX all season on Twitter - @USACProCX (#ProCX).
