After the first two rounds of the World Cup, the North American schedule returned to a bit of normalcy this past weekend. There was action on both coasts with Charm City offering a C1 and C2 race in Baltimore, MD and the WSCXGP offering a pair of C2 races in Sacramento, CA. Both sets of races provided some great action and impacted this weeks rankings. The one drawback is that both Jeremy Powers and Stephen Hyde are still out of action as they recover from their perspective injuries. Also out of action was last weeks second ranked rider, Gage Hecht, as he recovers from a travel schedule that saw him fly from Worlds in Austria to Iowa City for round two of the World Cup.
Here’s how this weeks rankings shake out:
Michael van den HamThe lone Canadian on this list drops a few spots, despite a solid weekend in Baltimore. He finished just off the podium in fourth on Saturday and was unable to finish Sunday. Van den Ham continues to show great form as he builds up to Canadian nationals and the Pan-American championships.
Anthony ClarkClark was one of two riders on this list to race at the WSCXGP. He picked up a victory on Saturday and finished fifth on Sunday. It was a solid weekend of racing in his sponsors home town. As he continues to criss-cross the world, it will be exciting to see how he fares as the season rolls on.
Lance HaidetConsistency was key for Haidet at the WSCXGP. He finished fourth both days and looked strong. It’s alway nice to see a UCI race on the West Coast and Haidet took full advantage by picking up points on both days.
Jamie DriscollWe have been on the fence about Driscoll all season. He continues to move up and down the rankings and it appears we may have underestimated him. He raced in Baltimore this past weekend and was on the podium both days, with a third on Saturday and a win on Sunday.
Jeremy PowersThere were sightings of Powers this past weekend at Charm City as he was in town for a few obligations and (unconfirmed) laps of the course. Despite being on the start list, Powers says he’s not ready to race just yet. We slot him in the sixth spot in our rankings as we await his return.
Stephen HydeWhile we still think Hyde is one of the top three riders in North America, we bumped him back a bit until he returns. It appears that he will be back at the end of October, just in time for him to defend his Pan-Am title in November.
Gage HechtHecht took a well deserved break this past weekend. He returns this weekend to the US Open of Cyclocross where he is a heavy favorite to win both days UCI C2 races.
Tobin OrtenbladLat year Ortenblad destroyed the competition in September and October. Then he seemed to cool off a bit and struggled to regain that form later in the season. He seems to be taking the slower approach after the World Cups, finishing sixth and fifth in Baltimore. This may seem like a step back, but we think it’s part of a long term strategy to be ready for nationals in December.
Curtis WhiteWe have been expecting big things out of White all season. After missing the first two weekends, he dropped out of our rankings, but has slowly climbed his way back up since. It’s a big jump for him this week, but we are expecting even bigger things from him in Gloucester this weekend. Dare we say double podium appearances?!
Kerry WernerWhen Hyde and Powers return they’re going to have a hard time catching Werner. He’s the best rider in North American right now and doesn’t appear to be going anywhere soon. He finished first and second at Charm City and looked strong both days. He appears to be taking this weekend off, but should be back in action for DCCX in two weeks.
