Nys, Compton top season's first UCI 'cross rankings

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Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) and Katie Compton (Rabobank-Giant Off-Road Team) picked up where they left off last 'cross season, at the top of the UCI rankings.

The UCI released the first rankings of the 2011-2012 cyclo-cross season on Tuesday, and the tabulations represent one of the governing body's changes for this current season. Last year, every rider started the 'cross season with a clean slate of points and added them as they were earned throughout the season. Going forward points are good for one year and are then removed from a rider's tally after 365 days have passed.

As a result, each rider started the 2011-2012 season with their points total from the final tabulation of last season. Any points earned in September through October 17 of 2010 have since been lost, while any points earned this season in the same time frame have been added. With relatively few races conducted so far, and only one World Cup, the overall results have remained mostly unchanged.

On the men's side, Sven Nys tops the rankings with 2,170 points, 160 more than compatriot Kevin Pauwels (Sunweb-Revor) and 182 ahead of Belgian champion Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus). Belgium dominates the upper echelons of the rankings with six of the top eight positions.

The most important result for Nys thus far this season has been his victory in the season's first UCI World Cup in Plzen, Czech Republic. The points-heavy World Cups are extremely important for establishing a high grid position on the start line, and Nys actually put more daylight between himself and his competitors in the rankings as he finished eight places higher this year.

On the women's side, 2010-2011 UCI rankings leader Katie Compton kept her spot atop the standings, albeit with a slender 60-point margin over second-placed Sanne van Paassen (Brainwash). Helen Wyman (Kona), buoyed by her unbeaten streak of races in the United States to open her season, moved into third place overall, 158 points down on Compton.

Compton started her season later than usual this season, but has won two of three races entered, most recently the World Cup opener in Plzen.

Belgium dominates the men's nation rankings with 6,168 points, 3,330 more than France and 3,457 greater than the Czech Republic. For the women's nation rankings the Netherlands holds first position with 3,958 points. The Czech Republic holds second place with 2,872 points, only five more than the United States in third.