CycloCross Power Rankings – Week 6

CycloCross Power Rankings – Week 5

In a weekend where we saw no less then 12 UCI races, along with the start of the GVA Trophy and Superprestige series, the major story is Sven Nys’ return to the top. However, while the European scene returned to normal, the North American scene was blown apart. Split between a three day affair in Ohio and back-to-back races in Rhode Island, two names have emerged as the definitive heads of state, Jermey Powers and Tim Johnson. Katie Compton also returned stateside just in time to decimate a powerful womens field in Ohio. Jonathan Page finally headed over to Europe where he produced less than lack luster results. It’s hard to believe that only a few years ago any European result by an American would be earth shattering. How the times have changed. (more…)

CycloCross Power Rankings – Week 4

Note: I changed things up a bit this week. I’ve decided to do most of my commentary as part of the weekend summary and shorten up the actual rankings themselves. Thanks for all your comments, support and debates. Enjoy.

After several weeks of racing, this past weekend was supposed to be the first weekend where we would get some answers as to who really will be battling for wins this season. However, it ended up leaving us with more questions then answers, and me scratching my head. With the European season in full-swing, things will become even clearer this weekend as the Superprestige and GVA Trophy series begin. Stateside things will again splinter (more…)

CycloCross Power Rankings – Week 3

Wow, what a week it has been. We saw the best field ever assembled on US soil battle under the lights just off the Vegas Strip. Erwin Vervecken flew half way around the world for three top notch races – who knew Vegas and Wisconsin would be cross destinations for one of the best ever – in which he was an active part and winner. Jamey Driscoll and Jermey Powers laid down several viscous attacks that saw them solo to victory. Speaking of solo victories, Niels Albert won his third straight race. I wonder if he ever gets tired of riding alone. Also, some guy on a steel bike notched two big UCI wins in Vermont of all places. Clearly it was an action packed weekend. Riders like Page, Trebon, (more…)

Cross Predictions Wrap Up

I promised a predictions wrap up on Friday, and here it is. While the predictions column started out as a cool idea on my part, it hasn’t really lived up to what I expect. So, I’ve decided to postpone the predictions for a while. Some of you may think that this was because my predictions were off, but that is not the case. After all, I did predict Page winning the Rad Racing GP even though he wasn’t on the pre reg list. I’ve just decided to stick everything into the Power Rankings and spend my time working on them. I may toss out a prediction here or there as part of the rankings, but as of right now, I don’t feel the predictions are worth it. Instead, I will devote my time to other cool stuff related to cross and cycling. (more…)

Cross Predictions – Weekend 2

I’m exhausted from a super busy week and haven’t had time to put up a decent post. So here’s the deal, I will post my USGP predictions without any sort of reasoning or hype. Then, on Monday, I’ll do a big two-week prediction wrap up and explanation about why I’m not doing NECCS predictions this weekend. Sorry that this is so bland and boring, but I promise better things to come. Anyway, here’s the predictions: (more…)

CycloCross Power Rankings – Week 2

The first full weekend of UCI cross racing is in the books, and what a week it was. Sven Nys showed his face for the first time and helplessly watched Niels Albert ride away from everyone on his way to another win. The bulk of the action was stateside as an Italian, Swiss and American took top points this weekend. So much for home soil advantage. Clearly, Davide Frattini had the best weekend, picking up the top spot both days on the East Coast. On the left hand side of the country, Christian Heule proved that Switzerland is capable of producing more (more…)

Cross Predictions – Weekend 1

Keeping up with my new blog format and ideas, here’s another new column of sorts: weekly predictions. Every Friday (maybe some Thursdays) I will post my top 3 for the upcoming major races (Elite Men only). They will include both North American and European races. Sorry to those of you who follow the Antarctica International GP, but I will not be covering that this year. In addition to my predictions, I will keep some sort of running tally throughout the season to see how I do. Here it goes: (as always, comments are welcomed) (more…)

CycloCross Power Rankings

Late last year I had this idea for a true Cross ranking system. Currently we have the UCI, World Cup, GVA Trophy, and Superprestige series/rankings. But which one is a true gauge of who is the best? What about the Americans? Every region has it’s own series plus the NACT and USAC rankings. So, who’s the best? Sven Nys dominated last year, but Niels Albert came away with the rainbow stripes. Katie Compton split her time between the US and Europe, dominating both. Jonathan Page lost his early edge after a poor European campaign (clearly his potential two-year ban didn’t help). Trebon won the National Championships, but was over shadowed by Jeremy Powers superb season and Jamie Driscoll’s surprise result. So who’s the best? (more…)