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Who's #1? 11/24/09

November 24, 2009

In the wake of New Jersey's USGP races, the Elite men and women or North America went their separate ways last week. A few stayed local, some chased points in New York and North Carolina, and the rest just took the week off. This coming weekend will see much of the same with a small UCI race in Massachusetts and a lot of riders taking one last break before the Portland UGSP's and National Championships in Bend. Here's how we think they stack up with three weeks to go.

Past Rankings: Week #1 | Week #2 | Week #3 | Week #4

Elite Women 11/24/09

1. Katie Compton (1) | There is no foreseeable outcome that could see Katie fall any lower than first on this list. She'll be back in the US soon to prepare for Bend.

2. Katerina Nash (2) | Back in the states for the final GP in Portland but will not race Nationals (obviously.) The Czech rider will head back to Europe in Jan for Worlds.

3. Amy Dombroski (3) | Solidifies her place on the list with back to back wins this weekend in NY. She looks fast and snappy. If Portland is muddy, can she still hang?

4. Meredith Miller (4) | The US road champion will also be a question mark in Portland and Bend should it be muddy. She managed in NJ, put OR is a different kind of mud.

5. Georgia Gould (5) | Another average weekend for Gould on Long Island. Sunday she looked good but Dombroski still got the best of her. Two weekends more and she's done.

6. Alison Dunlap (6) | Her goal to win Nationals isn't as far fetched as it seemed in September, but she's still a long shot. 3rd sound a lot more likely.

7. Kelli Emmett (12) | Long Island's NACT went well for the Giant rider. Her broken wrist from this summer has given her a new motivation to make the most of this 'cross season.

8. Mary McConneloug (7) | Mary seemed a little flat in New York and didn't find her way on the podium either day. She'll be at the VERGE race this weekend to get back on track.

9. Laura VanGuilder (11) | ninth to eleventh doesn't seem like a big jump, but with everyone riding so well right now it's huge. She'll win a day at VERGE this weekend.

10. Mo Bruno ( 8 ) | Mo made the chase group on Saturday in NY but finished last in the sprint. She skipped Sunday to rest up for the final three domestic weeks.

11. Alison Sydor (10) | Portland's USGP's will likely be the last 'cross race for the veteran Canadian. The mud should pay in the mountain bikers favor.

12. Natasha Elliott (9) | She struggled in NY but still held on to the NACT overall title. Having to drive 8+ hrs to races every weekend takes a toll on her recovery. It would benefit her to skip this weekend in MA but racing guarantees the overall VERGE title...

13. Deidre Winfield (13) | Right now, she's 6th a list of five women that will go to Worlds. She needs to beat Mo and LVG a couple times in OR to change that.

14. Sue Butler (14) | Went home from NJ suffering from asthma like symptoms. She'll see a doctor and try to find a remedy but it may be too little to late with only thee more weeks.

15. Katlin Antonneau (15) | The teenager will take her last stab at the elite women's field in Portland two weeks from now. Bend will be all about that Junior stars and stripes.

Elite Men 11/24/09

1. Tim Johnson (1) | Another double win weekend for TJ earns him the NACT overall title. Despite his feeling of underdog, he will be the favorite in bend by a hair.

2. Ryan Trebon (2) | If you look only at results from Long Island, you'd think Trebon has slipped off a bit. With nothing to gain and nothing to loose, he took the weekend a little more laid back and trained through. He'll be on his A+ game for Portland and Bend,

3. Jeremy Powers (4) | After another bout of the pig flu last weekend kept him out of the NJ races, he picked up right where he left off in Long Island this weekend. He's race the VERGE races this weekend and should win both days.

4. Todd Wells (5) | Tim Johnson put it best: Jonathan Page is the international dark horse and Todd Wells in the domestic dark horse.

5. Jonathan Page (3) | He's had an average season in Europe so far. No outstanding results to imply he's any better then those staying stateside.

6. Jamey Driscoll (6) | Jamey hasn't gotten any slower since he won in Vegas, everyone else has just gotten faster. A weekend off for him and then OR. He'll like the mud.

7. Adam Craig (13) | Things are starting to come around for the Mainer late in the season. He rode close to his potential on Sunday moving up through the field to finish 4th.

8. Barry Wicks (7) | Wicks has been coming around lately with good results in NJ. The big races come to his neck of the woods next and he always performs well at home.

9. Chris Jones (8) | Some mechanical/directional problems hindered his results on Long Island this weekend. He'll be tearing it up in Nor Cal this weekend before finals in OR. He'll need to beat Driscoll 2/3 in OR to have a chance at the Worlds team.

10. Geoff Kabush (9) | King Kabush has one weekend of racing left in what has been a very long (and very successful) 2009 season. He's still missing a USGP podium.

11. Davide Frattini (10) | 2nd and 1st for the Italian this weekend at the UCI North Carolina GP races. Wonder if he's trying to make the Worlds team for ITA this year?

12. Danny Summerhill (10) U23 | Danny started his season late and has been slowly building towards a peak in Bend and a peak at Worlds. From here, it looks like he's got the U23 title in the bag. A top 8 in Portland would be a good sign he's on form.

13. Zach McDonald (14) U23 | He's been good when he travels but great when he stays local. Like other, he'll have a huge advantage when USGP and Nats come to the NW.

14. Dan Timmerman (12) | He'll be on hand at the VERGE races this weekend in Sterling, MA. Lets see how long he can hang with J pows.

15. Nick Weighall (15) | Not to beat a dead horse, but as a Seattle local, he'll be in good position to do well in OR. After a season of East Coast, Mid Atlantic, and Rocky Mountain races, the North Westerners will finally get their chance.

16. Brian Matter (-) | Brain has moved all over this list over the last month. A sub-par USGP in NJ saw him fall outside the top 25. 3rd and 2nd in North Carolina this weekend put him back on the list with authority. His name showed up today on the roster for Euro Cross Camp. Another Worlds birth is very unlikely.

17. Matt Shriver (-) | Matt's on the record guaranteeing a top 20 finish in Bend this December. A win and a 4th in North Carolina this weekend give him a good batch of UCI points to make that more likely. Like Brian, a rebirth to the Worlds team is unlikely.

18. Troy Wells (18) | Troy's going to make me look silly one of these weekends and pop a top 5 ride at a big race. Maybe even Nationals. But until he does, 18th will have to do.

19. Derrick St. John (16) | Long Island went well for the Canadian, inside the top 10 both days. He's clearly on a different level than the top guys.

20. Luke Keough (22) U23 | Stayed local this weekend and won the Boston Road Club 'cross race in Lowell, MA. Right now, he's our pick for 3rd U23 at Nationals.

21. Carl Decker (19) | Good but not great in Long Island. That can sum up his entire season thus far. Nationals are a few blocks from his house in Bend. That'll help.

22. Jake Wells (-) | The working man is picking his battles wisely this season. A trip to North Carolina this weekend scored his some valuable UCI point. If he has the time to train hard for a couple weeks, he could easily be top 10 in Bend.

23. Adam Myerson (21) | Lost to Keough in Lowell, MA at that local race this weekend. He'll be at VERGE this weekend with a shot at top 5 both days.

24. Jesse Anthony (20) | What in the world is Jesse doing ranking 24th in North America? He was one of the top 10 riders in the US when he was 18! The illness he suffered earlier in the year is having devastating results on his cyclocross campaign.

25. Marko Lalonde (23) | Another weekend off the radar. If he;s in Portland, he'll be top 25

Post a Comment

#4	Erik O November 25, 2009 at 9:14pm Colt From Cyclingdirt said: “This was my response from last weekend to the same question: "He was a DNF on Saturday and 10th U23 on Sunday in NJ's USGP. 29th overall in Elite is nothing to be ashamed of, this year's U23 field is just loaded." This weekend he was 4th at a local Boaston race: http://www.bikereg.com/Results/2009/11/21-Shedd-Park-CX.asp He was 4th behind Adam Myerson by over a minute. In a USGP that minute is 5 places. Adam is ranked 23rd this week... Jerome is good, and like we've said before, he has the potential to be great, but he's just not one of the top 25 guys in the country right now and he's maybe 11th or 12th among U23's. A great ride in Sterling this weekend at the VERGE races could bump him up...” You have Keough ranked 3rd and that's correct. But Townsend has beaten him more than Keough has beaten Townsend. He's top five for sure. Guess we'll have to see what Sterling brings. reply
#3	Colt From Cyclingdirt November 25, 2009 at 8:01pm Erik O said: “How can you not have Jerome Townsend as a top U23?” This was my response from last weekend to the same question: "He was a DNF on Saturday and 10th U23 on Sunday in NJ's USGP. 29th overall in Elite is nothing to be ashamed of, this year's U23 field is just loaded." This weekend he was 4th at a local Boaston race: http://www.bikereg.com/Results/2009/11/21-Shedd-Park-CX.asp He was 4th behind Adam Myerson by over a minute. In a USGP that minute is 5 places. Adam is ranked 23rd this week... Jerome is good, and like we've said before, he has the potential to be great, but he's just not one of the top 25 guys in the country right now and he's maybe 11th or 12th among U23's. A great ride in Sterling this weekend at the VERGE races could bump him up... reply
#2	Erik O November 25, 2009 at 7:42pm How can you not have Jerome Townsend as a top U23? reply
#1	Colt From Cyclingdirt November 24, 2009 at 8:33pm Below are the U23 Rankings from last week. We'll pick back up with them next week and go through nationals. The only big news to report is that Gavin Mannion is now finished with Cyclocross. Southampton's NACT's were his last races of the year as he begins preparation for his 2010 road season. He'll be racing for the Trek-Livestrong team (who's training camp in Tucson, AZ takes place Dec 5th-12th...) U23 Men 11/16/09 1. Danny Summerhill (1) \| 6th and 12th in NJ... overall. Easily takes the top ranking for U23 going into the final month of US racing. After Nationals, Danny's goals are in Euro. 2. Zach McDonald (2) \| 9th overall on Saturday got him 2nd U23. He slipped back Sunday but no one else came close to matching his top 10 ride in the overall. 3. Luke Keough (3) \| 16th and 3rd U23 on Sunday was good, but he's better. He should be peaked in Bend and ready to stand on the podium. 4. Gavin Mannion (6) \| 15th on Sunday and 2nd U23 was just the result he needed to put his name in the discussion for U23 Worlds team. His next test wont come until Portland. 5. Joshua Berry (-) \| 6th and 7th U23 in NJ was not outstanding, but consider that most of his competition was coming from a few hours away, while traveled from OR, and it becomes a bit more level. When USGP and Nationals come to his home state, expect he'll be ready to take his place in the top 5. 6. Manny Goguen (-) \| 5th U23 on Saturday was an impressive ride. He's one of 6 first years on this list. It's a tough class to stand out in. 7. Travis Liverman (9) \| 4th on Saturday but 12th on Sunday for U23's. Some of his competition only have one day of racing to his two but like the SAT's sometimes it's better to leave one blank than get one wrong. 8. Joe Dombrowski (-) \| After a big Elite win last weekend in the Mid Atlantic, Joe backed it up in NJ with 8th and 5th U23. The home court advantage was a help. 9. Ethan Gilmore (-) \| Not sure what the plans are for the U23 National Mountain Bike Team rider from VT. NJ was good and if he commits to training and racing, he has the kind of motor to be on the podium in Bend. 10. Adam McGrath (7) \| With a racing age in 'cross of 23, Adam is not actually a U23. Yet he is listed in the U23 finishers column every weekend. Until someone stops scoring him as such, we might as well keep ranking him here ourselves... reply

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Who's #1? 11/24/09

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