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Who's #1? 12/01/09

November 30, 2009

We're getting dangerously close to the climax of the 2009 domestic Cyclocross season! On the horizon we have the USGP finals in Portland, Oregon followed by the big dance in Bend. Cyclingdirt will be on-site at both to bring you coverage like you've never seen before...

Lots of movement this week in the rankings on the heels of Jingle Cross, Baystate Cross, and a handful of great local events. New this week, we take at look at how things are shaping up for the World Championships team selection. Taking in to consideration those who will forgo the opportunity and those who are from outside the US, we've selected those who we think would make the team if selection were to take place today. Five men, women, and U23's. Their names are in italics and *stared*.

Elite Women 12/01/09

1. *Katie Compton* (1) | Had a bad start and a crash this weekend at the World Cup and could manage only third. When you get third at a World Cup on your bad day, that's pretty good. Compton comes home to the US and will be in Bend to pick up her Jersey.

2. Katerina Nash (2) | Also back in the States after a successful European campaign that saw her mixing it up in the front group on the biggest stage. With Compton not expected to be on hand in Portland, Nash will be the overwhelming favorite to win both days. As a non US citazin, this will be her last weekend in the States this season.

3. Amy Dombroski (3) | Amy took the weekend off to focus all her efforts on this last stretch of the domestic season. If her double wins in NY last weekend are any indicator, she should be ready to take her spot on the podium at least once in Portland.

4. Georgia Gould (5) | Gould also took the weekend off after a so-so performance on Long Island. With a week to rest and only two weekends left in her season, expect Gould to leave it all on the course in Portland and Bend.

5. *Meredith Miller* (4) | The US National Road Champion won not one, not two, but three UCI races this weekend at the Jingle Cross in Iowa. The competition may not have been off the charts, but it was still impressive. Her 1st row call up should be a lock.

6. Alison Dunlap (6) | We've been saying all year that with each passing week Dunlap will come out stronger. This has been true. Only problem is that everyone else seems to be on that same plan. Nationals has always been her top goal. Expect her at her best.

7. Kelli Emmett (7) | Emmett impressed at Long island's NACT round last week before heading home to Colorado Springs for a week of training. In terms of improvement, she's been improving faster than any women on the circuit. The podium is hers on good day.

8. Mary McConneloug (8) | Two wins this weekend in Massachusetts' VERGE UCI races. She'll take her winning streak to Rhode Island next for the final two rounds of the VERGE series. With series leader Mo Bruno heading to Portland, the overall crown is Mary's for the taking. Only Natasha Elliott could spoil her plans.

9. *Mo Bruno* (10) | Mo suffered a bit on Saturday in MA but found her legs in time for a solid second place Sunday behind Mary. She'll now head West for the USGP's and Nationals. Known well for her mudding skills, Oregon could be very good for her.nbsp;

10. Alison Sydor (11) | Sydor won the British Columbia Championships this weekend as she prepares for her last race of 2009 in Portland. The trip south will be easy for the Canadian. A good day could see her as high as 5th. She'll need some mud though.

11. Natasha Elliott (12) | Made a smart choice and sat out this weekend's VERGE race to recover after her poor showing on Long Island. She'll be the favorite for second both days behind Mary this weekend at the VERGE finals in RI. The series title is within reach if she can find her way past McConneloug on to the top step.

12. *Laura Van Guilder* (9) | LVG had a great month of November that saw her on or very close to the podium every weekend. Her fitness will rank top 8 in Oregon, her handling skills in the mud... we'll see. The roadie tag is hard to shake.

13. *Sue Butler* (14) | Sue has had a season filled with disappointment. New Jersey's USGP uncovered a lung problem that if untreated could be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Portland is her home turf, so maybe the screaming fans and good night's sleep will make the difference. When she's on her game, she's on the podium.

14. Katlin Antonneau (15) | The Planet Bike rider took a pair of second place finishes this past weekend in Iowa City's UCI races. The next time she races, it will be for the Stars and Stripes jersey of the Junior National Champion. She's as close to a lock in that one as Compton is in the Elites.

15. Deidre Winfield (13) | Her numerical finishing place in Portland this weekend will be second to her placing among the other women interested in making the Worlds team. 5 will go, and right now she's in the 6 spot.

U23 Men 12/01/09

1. *Danny Summerhill* (1) | Since he kicked off his season in Boulder one month ago, Summerhill has been untouchable amongst U23s. We'll see how the form is coming along in Portland, but right now he is you odds on favorite for the jersey in Bend.

2. *Zach McDonald* (2) | Props to Zach for making the trip overseas this past weekend for the World Cup and Super Prestige. He faired well for a first year U23 racing right off the plane after a 24 hour travel day. You've got to wonder what all that travel will do to his legs going in to the next two weekends. He's local in the North West so at least he wont have any flights for a while. He should still be good enough for second.

3. *Jerome Townsend* (-) | This aught to make a lot of people happy. We've been hard on Jerome this season in terms of rankings. We all knew he should be high on this list, but he had some downright bad races throughout the month on November. At the VERGE UCI races in MA this past weekend, he showed us the Jerome we've been waiting for. 7th and 4th overall. He now heads to OR for USGP's and Nats. We're going out on the limb and saying he'll make the U23 podium one of the days in Portland. At Nats, he's there to win.

4. *Joshua Berry* (5) | He was brilliant in NJ's USGP's a couple weeks ago and has been flying under the radar since. With the two biggest weekends of the year coming up in his are of the North West we expect he'll be right up there again.

5. *Luke Keough* (3) | 11th and 8th at VERGE this past weekend. On one hand, he's probably training through these races in preparation for Nationals and Europe. On the other hand, so are a lot of the guys who beat him. He'll skip Portland and head to RI this weekend to wrap up the U23 title in the VERGE series. He should be fresh for Nats.

6. Dave Hackworthy (-) | 5th and 7th this weekend at Jingle Cross. After a couple good USGP's in Louisville we had him up here on our rankings. Since then he's been fading week by week while the rest got stronger. Looks like now he's found his legs again.

7. Alex Howes (-) | 8th and 9th this weekend at Jingle Cross in his 09 cross debut. The U23 Road National Champion will be a real threat in Bend if he can find some form in the next two weeks. He could also be a super teammate for Summerhill should it turn into a close race at the front. Howes is a cross veteran and should come around quick.

8. Travis Livermon (7) | He's been solid all year. I wouldn't bet on him having a breakthrough ride at Nationals but I would bet on him being good and in the top 10.

9. Joe Dombrowski (8) | He's been on a tear in the Mid Atlantic the last month, snatching up wins and podiums in the Elite field. In a year with so many fast first year U23's, he often gets overlooked. He'll be hard to pass over after a top 10 ride at Nationals.

10. Chance Noble (-) | In early September, the big question in the U23 field was Summerhill vs. Noble. After the Wisconsin USGP's that looked valid. However since October, Chance has been completely off the radar. Last we heard he was out with Ilness. His name is on the start list for Nationals. If he can find even 80% of the form he had three months ago, he should still be top 10.

11. Eric Emsky (-) | Coming in to the year, he looked to be the third strongest first year U23 behind McDonald and Keough. He's been taking it easy on the travel and racing this year with the start of College but with Portland and Bend being in his neck of the woods we'll finally see him head to head with his peers. Don't be suprised is he moves into our top 10 the week before Nationals.

12. Steve Fisher (-) | A teammate of Emsky's on the Rad Racing North West team, he should also be a contender this weekend in Portland.

Elite Men 11/01/09

1. *Tim Johnson* (1) | The mighty Tim Johnson took this past weekend off to relax, do some training, and eat delicious home cooked meals by Lyne. In Portland he'll have an outside shot at taking home the USGP overall in the final race (something he did only last year.) As far as rankings, he'd have to finish last in the Women's race to come in to Nationals anything but a favorite. He could stop today and still call this his best 'cross season ever.

2. *Ryan Trebon* (2) | Ryan spent this past weekend training hard and racing semi seriously in Oregon. A resident of Bend, he lives close enough to the Nationals course to call it his front yard. His motivation will be at an all time high these next two weeks and it's likely his form will be too. All that's left is to not mess it up.

3. Todd Wells (4) | As with Meredith Miller, Todd took three UCI wins this past weekend at Jingle Cross in Iowa City. No one else ranked in the top 15 was there, making it hard to judge just how fast Wells was moving. He might be a little tired in Portland, but don't think for a second he'll be anything but peaked for Bend.

4. *Jonathan Page* (5) | Page had a strong weekend in Europe with good placing at the World Cup and Super Prestige. The next and last time we'll see him race in the states this season will be at Nationals. From the looks of it, we'll be seeing him right at the front.

5. *Jeremy Powers* (3) | DJ J Pows took a pair of wins at the VERGE race in Sterling, MA. He looked good not great. He likely didn't take much rest coming in as he tries to squeez in as many workouts as possible before heading West. As usual, look for him on the podium at least one day at Portland's USGP.

6. Adam Craig (7) | After Trebon, Adam is the second guy on this list who calls Bend, OR home. He showed on Long island that his form was nearing 100%. Another two weeks to train and a race at home in front of family and friends aught to put him over the top .

7. *Jamey Driscoll* (6) | Like teammate Johnson, he took the weekend as an opportunity to head home and recoup before the last big domestic push. VT is cold this time of year.

8. Barry Wicks (8) | The third Oregon local on the list. Wicks seems to have stumbled into some great form these last couple weeks, taking a win Sunday in Bend ahead of Trebon. The hometown advantage might mean more for him than anyone else.

9. Geoff Kabush (10) | Finally, the last race weekend of the year for Geoff Kabush. When all is said and done, he'll have had the best 2009 of anyone on this list. He's on record as saying Portland is one of his favorite venues. Unlike the Yanks, he wont be saving anything for Bend. Sunday could finally be the podium he's been looking for.

10. Chris Jones (9) | Jones stayed local on Nor Cal over the holidays. Forget placing well, all he needs to do these next three races in beat Jamey Driscoll. 5 men will make the worlds team and right now, Chris would be 6th. Driscoll's the only guy he could knock off.

11. Danny Summerhill (12) |Te top ranked U23 will sharpen his skills against the elites in Portland. If he's near peak form, top 10 shouldn't be a problem.

12. Dan Timmerman (14) | 2nd and 3rd at the VERGE races in MA. He was pushing Powers on day one. He'll head to RI this weekend to wrap up the overall title in the New England Championship Series. He'll have lead from start to finish.

13. Davide Frattini (11) | Consider this his farewell ranking. The Italian is not registered to race in Portland and is not eligible to race in Bend. Unless he has plans for Europe and Worlds, we may have seen the last from Davide.

14. Nick Weighall (15) | On any other weekend, Seattle is not considered local to Portland, but when USGP cyclcross comes within 4 hours of your house, it's a home court advantage. If the trend continues, Nick should make top 10 once in Portland.

15. Matt Shriver (17) | The head cycling coach at Fort Lewis College has been secretly training at home in Durango, CO getting himself ready for the National Championships. He'll be in Bend to support his athletes in their pursuit of the collegiate national championship. With riders like Rotem Ishy and Ben Sonntag on the starting line, Fort Lewis is looking good. On Sunday, Matt (member of the worlds team in 09) will line up with the Elite's for what he has guaranteed will be a top 20 finish. We think top 15 is possible.

16. Troy Wells (18) | 2nd place on Friday at Jingle Cross had as all thinking Troy was back on the up swing. Then a par of DNS's on Saturday and Sunday made us reconsider. Word is he's down with a case of Troy1N1. Top 10 in Portland is unlikely. Nationals maybe

17. Justin Lindine (-) | We saw Justin break into our top 25 last month after riding well in the New Gloucester, ME stop on the VERGE New England tour. He failed to come up with the goods when it counted at the USGP in NJ but he looks to be back on top form. 3rd and 2nd this past weekend in MA were his best rides of the year. Don't be surprised if he wins himself a UCI race this weekend in RI at the VERGE series finals.

18. Marko Lalonde (25) | Solid performance all three days at Jingle Cross. Nats will be his last race of 2009. Then the countdown begins to WORS 2010!

19. Brian Matter (16) | Same as Marko. Good in Iowa. Heading to nats. Then WORS!

20. Carl Decker (21) | Another Bend local. Two top 15's in Portland sound about right.

21. Jerome Townsend (-) | His second appearance in the top 25. He'll need to be top 20 in Portland to stay longer than a week this time. We think he can handle it.

22. Ryan Iddings (-) | Behind Wells, Ryan had probably to most successful three days at Jingle Cross. If he can keep building, he could be a darkhorse pick for top 15 in Bend.

23. Josh Dillion (-) | 4th and 5th at VERGE UCI's. He'll head to RI to finish the New England series before making the trip to Bend. Podium is likely both days in Rhode Island.

24. Tristan Schouten (-) | Like Iddings, three solid days at Jingle Cross move him in to the top 25. At his best, he's a 9th-14th kind of guy at Nationals. Maybe he's on that path?

25. Jesse Anthony (-) | Jesse and Sue Butler need to pack their bags and go on vacation. Leave the bikes behind. This season just isn't working out. He'll be in Portland and Bend, but it's yet to be seen which Jesse will show up. He's had a few weeks in a row to try and recover. Maybe that'll be enough to get him back in the mix. Don't forget, he was 4th in Louisville. Then again, he's been 40th more often. We'll have to wait and see.

That's it. Agree? Disagree? Strongly Disagree? Please utilize the comment section below.

Post a Comment

#11	Colt From Cyclingdirt December 6, 2009 at 8:38pm If you haven't already heard, Georgia Gould is done for the season. She made the decision the week before Portland to end her season early and get some much needed rest before she starts training for MTB. reply
#10	Colt From Cyclingdirt December 3, 2009 at 12:34am Jeff Dye said: “I know he hasn't raced in a couple weeks, but in Portland I'd bet on Adam McGrath being top 25.” I don't think you're wrong. Top 15 isn't out of the question. He's another guy who will benefit if (when) it's muddy out there. reply
#9	G December 2, 2009 at 11:02am If it's even a little muddy in portland I think Georgia will have the advantage over Miller. reply
#8	Dave McElwaine From Trailwatch.net December 2, 2009 at 10:26am The best rankings on the net. Until Adam Craig can beat Jamey Driscoll head-to-head, I give Jamey a higher spot. I think even Adam would agree. Expect Jamey to be right there with his team-mates this weekend. Also, 7 time national champion Jesse Anthony always shows up for these races. I am expecting much better performance from him. Also, I think Meredith has moved ahead of Georgia having beaten her in New Jersey and swept Jingle Cross. But, all this is nit picking....the rankings are nearly dead on. reply
#7	Jeff Dye December 2, 2009 at 8:17am I know he hasn't raced in a couple weeks, but in Portland I'd bet on Adam McGrath being top 25. reply
#6	Colt From Cyclingdirt December 2, 2009 at 8:05am No Expert said: “And while no one would argue your 1 and 2, is JPow getting disrespected? I know TW is super strong but is he back yet? There was not competition last week for him, to rate him over JP who is killing it let alone JPage seems like it was done on purpose to start conversation (oh you got me). On the other hand I know nothing about cross, except for what your great coverage provides.” 1) I think a lot of people would argue my 1 and 2 are wrong. I doubt Page agrees, for starters. 2) Yes, I'm disrespecting J Pows. But I'd be disrespecting Page and Wells too if I had them 5th. Page had a good weekend in Europe. Solid World Cup and top 15 at the Super Prestige. More importantly was the time gaps. He was a lot closer to the front then he's been the last 5 weeks. 3) J Powers won 2 UCI races this weekend and was pushed by Timmerman on Saturday. Wells won 3 UCI races uncontested. Powers is coming off a long season and two bouts with the pig flu. Wells is fresh and just coming in to form. I give Todd the edge in Portland. 4) If I'm terribly wrong, I'm the administrator and can come back and delete this comment. reply
#5	Colt From Cyclingdirt December 2, 2009 at 7:51am No Expert said: “but isn't it a bit unfair to JD to be behind AC. They have gone head to head how many times this year, has AC beaten him yet? Let alone how many wins does JD have to AC? I would say it looks like people are catching up to JD or he is slowing down, but he is consistently right there with the rest of the machine and RT. Man he needs to start faster. ” AC vs. JD was a tough call this week. These rankings are based partially on what you did the last two weekends and partially on what we expect they'll do the next two weekends. Jamey has been clearly better than Adam every race this season. But Adam has been closing the gap slowly but surly while Jamey seems stuck with the same form (which hasn't been bad..) With Jamey having to travel West and Adam racing in his backyard (almost literally) we think the edge goes to Adam this week. reply
#4	No Expert December 2, 2009 at 4:13am but isn't it a bit unfair to JD to be behind AC. They have gone head to head how many times this year, has AC beaten him yet? Let alone how many wins does JD have to AC? I would say it looks like people are catching up to JD or he is slowing down, but he is consistently right there with the rest of the machine and RT. Man he needs to start faster. And while no one would argue your 1 and 2, is JPow getting disrespected? I know TW is super strong but is he back yet? There was not competition last week for him, to rate him over JP who is killing it let alone JPage seems like it was done on purpose to start conversation (oh you got me). On the other hand I know nothing about cross, except for what your great coverage provides. reply
#3	Colt From Cyclingdirt December 1, 2009 at 1:45pm Very true about Andrea. She's had some amazing rides this season but still lacks a bit of consistency. That's typical when you're having this sort of breakthrough season. A 1st or 2nd in RI this weekend should bump her into the top 15 next next week. And incase you missed it last week, previously 4th ranked U23 rider Gavin Mannion has ended his 2009 cyclocross season. He's singed a contract to race for the Trek-Livestrong team in 2010 and will be attending team training camp in Tucson, AZ this week. UPDATED: Amy Dombroski joins the list of riders who will skip the opportunity to race at Worlds. She'll use the time to recover and prepare for her Mountain Bike season. With her out of the equation, Sue Butler would move onto the 5 women roster. That is unless Kelli Emmett decides to go. Emmett is 50/50 at the moment. reply
#2	Steve December 1, 2009 at 11:30am Andrea Smith has been CRUSHING it in NE with another impressive result in getting 2nd on day 1 of Sterling. Had it not been for a couple mechanicals on day 2 should would have been on the podium once again. I think she is someone to consider for the top 15. She has an excellent shot at her first UCI win this weekend in RI. reply
#1	G Block December 1, 2009 at 10:51am Great stuff as usual! Interesting picks for the Worlds team. What's with so many women not wanting to go to Worlds? reply

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