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Mourey, your CrossVegas winner by a half-wheel! © Kenton Berg

Mourey, your CrossVegas winner by a half-wheel! © Kenton Berg

A week of world-class racing ended with two men tied for the number one spot in the 2010/11 USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Calendar rankings. Laura van Gilder (Cresco, Penn./C3 — Athletes Serving Athletes), meanwhile, maintains her lead in the women’s standings for the third consecutive week.

The first UCI category 1 race of the season took place Wednesday, September 22, at CrossVegas. In front of a large, excited crowd, Francis Mourey (FRA) won a close sprint to the line to take the men’s race. Luna Pro Team took one/two in the women’s race, with Katerina Nash (CZE) beating teammate Amy Dombroski (Boulder, Colo.) by 17 seconds.

On Saturday in Lincoln, New Hampshire, van Gilder took off from the start and soloed to a win at the Nor’easter ‘Cross at Loon Mountain. Justin Lindine (New Salem, Mass./ bikereg.com/Joe’s Garage/Scott), jumped from a chase group to join a teammate at the front of the race, then never looked back to take the victory.

Saturday also saw day one of the U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross Planet Bike Cup in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Jeremy Powers (Easthampton, Mass./ Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) used an early attack to take the lead and hold it over a tough field. On Sunday it was Powers’ teammate Tim Johnson’s (Beverly, Mass.) turn to sport the Cannondale/Cyclodrossworld.com colors on top of the podium, trading first and second steps with Powers. In the women’s races, Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo./ Planet Bike/Stevens) soloed her way to wins on both days.

In Rochester, New York, Sunday’s Ellison Park Cyclocross saw Lindine win his second race of the weekend, this time by 11 seconds over Canadian Derrick St. John. Natasha Elliot of Canada won the women’s race to propel herself into the top 10 in the women’s standings.

The current standings of the Cyclo-cross National Calendar are as follows:

Men’s Standings
1. Timothy Johnson (Beverly, MA/ Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com) 225
1. Francis Mourey (FRA/Française des Jeux) 225
2. Christian Heule (SUI/Champion System) 190
3. Justin Lindine (New Salem, MA/ bikereg.com/Joe’s Garage/Scott) 170
4. Jonathan Page (Northfield, NH/Planet Bike) 168
5. Jeremy Powers (Easthampton, Mass./ Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) 155

Women’s Standings
1. Laura Van Gilder (Cresco, Penn./C3 — Athletes Serving Athletes) 208
2. Susan Butler (Portland, Ore./Team HUDZ-Subaru) 195
3. Katerina Nash (CZE/Luna Pro Team) 180
4. Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, CO/Luna Pro Team) 150
5. Rebecca Blatt (West Hartford, CT/ Silver Bull/Central Wheel) 131

View the complete men’s standings here and complete women’s standings here.

The USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Calendar continues with the Gran Prix of Gloucester and the Krosstoberfest Weekend, both taking place Saturday and Sunday, October 2-3.