North American Cyclocross Power Rankings, Week #13

Photo by Luc Claessen | ISPAphoto.be

1. Jeremy Powers (1) – J-Pow’s been on top for a while and until somebody soundly beats him on US soil, it’s where he’ll stay – despite taking the weekend off from racing. He’s had a very respectable season until this point, and will look to seal the deal on another USGP overall win and finally, a National Championship. 

2. Tim Johnson (3) – Now, TJ went to LA to pick up a win and a second place, which follows nicely on the heels of his season’s first win the weekend before in Iowa. The question remains, though – does TJ have what it takes to contend for the victory against a full field of the nation’s top riders?

3. Ben Berden (9) – Ben Berden is staring at the close of his US racing season, planning to head back to Belgium. His win in LA, pouring on a half minute over a chasing Tim Johnson and others, is a nice way to wrap things up, but he’ll be looking to podium this weekend in Bend. 

4. Chris Jones (6) – a pair of podiums in LA, and Jones is looking strong. He’s seen the front of some big races in the past month. 

5. Jamey Driscoll (5)  – Driscoll showed up to the Shimano Series finale at NBX Gran Prix with Heule, and though his teammate bested him both days, it shows that he’s riding high. 

6. Geoff Kabush (4) – We think that Kabush is probably the safest bet for a pair of podiums this weekend in Bend but as he hasn’t raced since Louisville, his form is hard to gauge. Don’t let a slip in the Power Rankings fool you. 

7. Christian Heule (nr) – Heule starts to pull together some good results after some slow time with mild midseason injuries. Look for him to stick around. 

8. Todd Wells (2) – We’re choosing to keep Todd Wells on the Power Rankings for a little while out of deference to his status as National Champion, but as he’s hung up his cross bike, we can’t keep it up much longer. It was great having you race some cross, Todd. We wish you’d stayed around a bit longer. Au revoir. 

9. Luke Keough (nr) – The young criterium specialist breaks on to the Power Rankings due to a shake-up across the spectrum. He clinched the Shimano Series titles for both the Elite and the U23 men – an impressive feat – and did so by outsprinting Heule and Driscoll on Saturday. It’s a fine showing for a youngster with a bright future.

10. Chris Shepperd (nr) – Shepperd pulled down a pair of respectable 4th-place finishes in LA. 

Dropped this week: Tristan Schouten, Ryan Trebon. “Treefarm” announced that he’ll be out for a while recovering and rebuilding from his injury during the Louisville round of the USGP. He’ll hope to rebuild form for Nationals, and via Twitter, reminds the world that he’s not out for the rest of the season – there’s still two and a half months of racing left.