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After a slow start to the US Cup-CX series, at least by his national champion standards, Stephen Hyde (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) put other riders on notice that he was not going to go quietly in the chase for $10,000 by winning the second day at Charm City earlier this month.

After a couple down weeks of training and recovering from illness, Hyde came into Cincinnati ready to make a mark on the new series. He did so in a big way by winning going away on Saturday at Devou Park and outlasting Gage Hecht (Alpha Bicycle – Groove Subaru) on Sunday at Harbin Park.

Hyde took a giant step towards a possible US Cup-CX victory and payday. 2017 Cincinnati Cyclocross, Day 1. © Cyclocross Magazine

Hyde took a giant step towards a possible US Cup-CX victory and payday. 2017 Cincinnati Cyclocross, Day 1. © Cyclocross Magazine

While Hyde was feeling like a king in the Queen City, the series leader heading into the weekend Tobin Ortenblad (Santa Cruz / Donkey Label Racing) had a rough go in the mud at Devou on Saturday, finishing 14th and was unable to bounce back at Harbin Park, where he finished 11th.

Tobin Ortenblad had another disappointing day at Cincinnati, while Cooper Willsey surged into the top ten to finish seventh. Elite Men, 2017 Cincinnati Cyclocross, Day 2, Harbin Park. © Cyclocross Magazine

Tobin Ortenblad had another disappointing day at Cincinnati on Sunday. Elite Men, 2017 Cincinnati Cyclocross, Day 2, Harbin Park. © Cyclocross Magazine

Hyde’s success and Ortenblad’s struggles have given Hyde a commanding 405 to 335 lead over Kerry Werner (Kona Factory CX Team), who moved into second after finishing sixth and fourth in Cincy. This means Hyde merely needs to finish 25th or better to win the $10,000 prize.

Since 2015, Hyde’s lowest finish at a domestic UCI race is eighth on the first day of Jingle Cross this year. If we are going to Nate Silver the odds, Hyde has DNFed six times in his career, meaning he has finished 95% of the races he has started and Werner has won 10% of the UCI races he has entered since 2015. This roughly translates to a 99.5% chance Hyde will win the US Cup-CX overall title.

The US Cup-CX top three: Kerry Werner grabbed the holeshot, with Hyde and Ortenblad right on his heels. 2017 Cincinnati Cyclocross, Elite Men, Day 1. © Cyclocross Magazine

Kerry Werner is looking to hold onto second in the US Cup-CX series. 2017 Cincinnati Cyclocross, Elite Men, Day 1. © Cyclocross Magazine

After Scott Tedro’s announcement that the prize purse will be expanded to pay the second and third finishers, the battle for second and third is very much alive. Werner currently has 20 points on Curtis White (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com), who in turn has six points on Ortenblad.

Saturday’s race at the Derby City Cup in Louisville is the last race of the seven-race series. It is a C2 event that awards 70 points to the winner. Full series standings are below.

Men's US Cup-CX Standings After 6 of 7 Races

PlaceLastFirstKMC-1KMC-2CHM-1CHM-2CNY-1CNY-2OVERALL
1HydeStephen606565707570405
2WernerKerry555560605055335
3WhiteCurtis456050455560315
4OrtenbladTobin757075551420309
5PetrovSpencer7020556570280
6DriscollJamie502540504550260
7WillseyCooper404515353040205
8PowersJeremy4070652177
9KisseberthJack65112540141
10HechtGage6065125
11SelanderBjorn3550135613122
12RiverosHector30152530100
13KaiserCody352035595
14CowieTristan453091094
15LindineJustin257302587