Mancebo reclaims spot atop US NRC rankings

Two races last weekend caused big ripples in both the USA Cycling National Race Calendar and the National Criterium Calendar standings.

Competitive Cyclist's Francisco Mancebo, the 2011 NRC overall winner, reclaimed his spot atop the NRC rankings with a well-earned victory at Sunday's Tour of the Battenkill, the second race of the series. The day before in North Carolina, UnitedHealthcare's Hilton Clarke added to his NCC lead at the Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium, while Primal-Map My Ride's Nicky Wangsgard took the women's lead with her first NCC win.

Mancebo survives brutal Battenkill for NRC lead

Mancebo's win at Battenkill, where well over half the field did not finish, boosted him to a nine-point advantage over previous leader Phil Gaimon (Kenda/5-Hour Energy), who won the series-opening Redlands Bicycle Classic but suffered a mechanical in the closing kilometers Sunday and was the last rider to finish. Bissell Pro Cycling's Paddy Bevin did not race Sunday but is third overall based on the strength of his three stage wins and second-place GC finish at Redlands. Mancebo was third in the NRC standings before Sunday's race.

In the team competiton, Bevin's Bissell squad, which won this compeition last year, moved into first place with 390 points after placing riders in third and seventh Sunday. Optum-Kelly Benenfit Strategies claimed the second and fourth spots at Battenkill to move into second overall with 358 points, while previous leader Kenda/5-Hour Energy slipped to third, just three points behind Optum.

The NRC women did not race at Battenkill, and the standings remain unchanged. Redlands winner Megan Guarnier (Tibco-To the Top), who recently placed third at Ronde van Gelderland in the Netherlands, continues to lead the individual competition by 76 points over Optum's Joelle Numainville. Alison Powers (NOW and Novartis for MS) is third with 155 points. TIBCO also leads the team competition with 296 points, while Optum is in second at 161. NOW and Novartis for MS is third with 213 points.

Clarke nips Barrajo in North Carolina to expand NCC lead

Clarke won on Saturday by less than half a second over Alejandro Borrajo (Jamis-Sutter Home) at the Carolina criterium - the second event of the 2012 NCC - padding his advantage in the rankings by 90 points over Borrajo. Clarke's UnitedHealthcare teammate Isaac Howe, who finished fourth Saturday, remains third overall, nine points behind Borrajo and 9 points ahead of teammate Jake Keogh.

Clark's United Healthcare squad also leads the team competition by 104 points over Jamis-Sutter Home. Kenda/5-Hour Energy is third, 146 points behind the leaders.

Saturday marked the first event of the women's NCC competition, which means Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium winner Wangsgard also leads the overall competition. Exergy-Twenty12's Theresa Cliff-Ryan is second overall, 30 points behind the leader, while Erica Allar (C4 Cycling-RideClean-PatentIt.com) is 48 points behind in third.

Wansgard's Primal-MapMyRide squad leads Exergy-Twenty12 by just three points in the team competition, while Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies is third, 14 points out of the lead.

The NCC resumes for the men and women Saturday at the Sunny King Criterium in Anniston, Alabama. Both the men and women will return to NRC racing with the Joe Martin Stage Race in Fayetteville, Arkansas, April 26-29.

Standings

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USA Cycling NRC Standings - Men
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResultHeader Cell - Column 3
1Francisco Mancebo (Competitive Cyclist)226pts
2Phillip Gaimon (Kenda/5-Hour Energy)217Row 1 - Cell 3
3Patrick Bevin (Bissell Pro Cyclingg)195Row 2 - Cell 3
4Michael Friedman (Team Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies)145Row 3 - Cell 3
5Alexander Candelario (Team Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies)108Row 4 - Cell 3
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USA Cycling NRC Standings - Women
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResultHeader Cell - Column 3
1Megan Guarnier (TIBCO/To the Top)237pts
2Joelle Numainville (Optum pro Cycling-Kelly Benefit Strategies)161Row 1 - Cell 3
3Alison Powers (NOW and Novartis for MS)155Row 2 - Cell 3
4Amber Neben (Specialized-Lululemon)108Row 3 - Cell 3
5Loren Rowney (Specialized-Lululemon)101Row 4 - Cell 3
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USA Cycling NRC Standings - Men's Team Standings
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResultHeader Cell - Column 3
1Bissell Pro Cycling Team390pts
2Team Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies358Row 1 - Cell 3
3Kenda/5-Hour Energy355Row 2 - Cell 3
4Competitive Cyclist276Row 3 - Cell 3
5California Giant Berry Farms/Specialized159Row 4 - Cell 3
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USA Cycling NRC Standings - Women's Team Standings
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResultHeader Cell - Column 3
1TIBCO-To the Top296pts
2Optum Pro Cycling-Kelly Benefit Strategies261Row 1 - Cell 3
3NOW and Novartis for MS213Row 2 - Cell 3
4Exergy TWENTY12132Row 3 - Cell 3
5FCS-Rouse-Mr Restore94Row 4 - Cell 3
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USA Cycling NCC Standings - Men
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResultHeader Cell - Column 3
1Hilton Clarke (UnitedHealthcare-Maxxis)180pts
2Alejandro Borrajo (Jamis-Sutter Home)90Row 1 - Cell 3
3Isaac Howe (Kenda/5-Hour Energy)81Row 2 - Cell 3
4Jacobe Keough (UnitedHealthcare p/b Maxxis)72Row 3 - Cell 3
5Carlos Alzate Escobar (Team Exergy)60Row 4 - Cell 3
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USA Cycling NCC Standings - Women
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResultHeader Cell - Column 3
1Nicky Wangsgard (Primal-MapMyRider Women's Racing)120pts
2Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Exergy Twenty12)90Row 1 - Cell 3
3Erica Allar (C4 Cycling-RideClean-PatentIt.com)72Row 2 - Cell 3
4Jade Wilcoxson (Optum Pro Cycling-Kelly Benefit Strategies)66Row 3 - Cell 3
5Kendall Ryan (Team TIBCO-To the Top)60Row 4 - Cell 3
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USA Cycling NCC Standings - Men's Team Standings
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResultHeader Cell - Column 3
1UnitedHealthcare270pts
2Jamis-Sutter Home166Row 1 - Cell 3
3Kenda 5 Hour Energy124Row 2 - Cell 3
4Team Mountain Khakis p/b Smartshop74Row 3 - Cell 3
5Team Exergy68Row 4 - Cell 3
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USA Cycling NCC Standings - Women's Team Standings
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResultHeader Cell - Column 3
1Primal-MapMyRider Women's Racing120pts
2Exergy Twenty12117Row 1 - Cell 3
3Optum Pro Cycling-Kelly Benefit Strategies106Row 2 - Cell 3
4NOW and Novartis for MS76Row 3 - Cell 3
5Team TIBCO-To the Top72Row 4 - Cell 3

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Growing up in Missoula, Montana, Pat competed in his first bike race in 1985 at Flathead Lake. He studied English and journalism at the University of Oregon and has covered North American cycling extensively since 2009, as well as racing and teams in Europe and South America. Pat currently lives in the US outside of Portland, Oregon, with his imaginary dog Rusty.