Nys, Compton lead first UCI 'cross rankings of season

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The first UCI cyclo-cross rankings of the 2013-2014 season were released today following the opening World Cup round on Sunday in Valkenburg and there's little change at the top of the standings as previous season's final leaders Sven Nys and Katie Compton continue in their respective top spots.

While a disastrous outing in Valkenburg for reigning world champion Sven Nys (Crelan KDL), who withdrew after snapping a chain, put a serious dent in his World Cup ambitions, the 37-year-old Belgian remains on top of the elite men's UCI standings with 2,150 points. Nys finished the previous season on top of the standings and in the rolling 12-month tabulation format he picked up where he left off. The top six riders in the standings, in fact, all held steady in their positions with Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) at second overall, 132 points behind Nys, followed by Valkenburg runner-up Kevin Pauwels (Sunweb-Napoleon Games) with 1,714 points, 436 behind the world champion.

Pauwels's teammate Klaas Vantornout, the Belgian champion, is close behind in fourth with 1,700 points while Sunday's World Cup winner Lars van der Haar (Rabobank Development Team) is fifth with 1,496 points.

The biggest upwards mover near the top of the rankings is German champion Philipp Walsleben (BKCP-Powerplus), the third place finisher in Valkenburg, who jumped from his 15th position at the end of last season to 8th with 1,076 points.

Jeremy Powers (Rapha-Focus) is the top North American rider in 21st place with 577 points, followed closely by Tim Johnson (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) in 22nd with 556 points.

The top four countries in the elite men's nation standings remain unchanged with Belgium in its usual position on top. Belgium has a commanding lead with 5,882 points, nearly double the tally of second-placed Netherlands (3,001). The Czech Republic holds steady at third with 2,275 points.

Katie Compton (Trek Cyclocross Collective) begins the 2013-2014 'cross season where she left off, first on the UCI rankings. While the nine-time US champion has had a lighter early season schedule than previous years, nonetheless she placed second place to world champion Marianne Vos (Rabobank Liv/Giant) in the opening World Cup round in Valkenburg and tops the standings with 2,330 points. Not wanting to miss a World Cup on home turf, Vos contested and won the women's race on Sunday in commanding fashion which moved her from fourth into second with 1,805 points. European champion Helen Wyman (Kona) trails Vos by 51 points in third while Belgian champion Sanne Cant (Enertherm-BKCP) holds fourth with 1,483 points. British champion Nikki Harris (Young Telenet-Fidea), third in Valkenburg on Sunday, rounds out the top five, just two points behind Cant.

Vos's decision to contest some early 'cross races plus the opening World Cup round puts the Netherlands on top of the elite women's nation standings with 4,155 points. Great Britain, which ended the previous season as top nation, is in second at 4,023 points followed by the United States in third with 3,205 points.

While the elite categories have a rolling, 12-month points cycle for determining their rankings, the junior men start each season with a zero balance and add points as the season progresses. Lucas Dubau (France), the winner of the junior men's World Cup in Valkenburg, tops these first rankings with 40 points, earning 30 for his win on Sunday plus 10 points for a victory on home soil on week prior to the World Cup. A pair of Belgians round out the top three, with Yannick Peeters at 25 points followed by Eli Iserbyt at 23 points.

France holds a slight edge over Belgium in the nation standings, 66 to 62 points, while the United States holds third at 36 points.