Albert new leader of UCI 'cross rankings

Image 1 of 3

Just three days after the Namur, Belgium round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, the 'cross peloton contested the sixth round of the eight-round series in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium on Wednesday. After tallying the points earned at the latest 'cross World Cup, there was little movement in the standings, but in the men's rankings, however, Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus) moved into the overall lead with 2,176 points. Former UCI 'cross rankings leader Kevin Pauwels (Sunweb-Revor), fifth in Zolder, dropped from first to third (2,059 points), with Zolder World Cup winner Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet - Euphony) climbing one spot to second, just 26 points in arrears of Albert.

Belgium's Klaas Vantornout (Sunweb-Revor) remains in fourth overall (1,440 points) followed by young Dutchman Lars van der Haar (Rabobank-Giant Off-road Team) in fifth (1,369).

US champion Jeremy Powers (Rapha-Focus) moved up one position to once again hold a place in the top ten at 10th place (1,087 points).

Belgium remains firmly in the lead of the elite men's nations rankings with 6,385 points, with the Netherlands a distant second at 2,669 points followed by the Czech Republic in third at 2,535 points.

While Marianne Vos won her first World Cup of the season on Wednesday in Zolder, runner-up Katie Compton (Trek Cyclocross Collective) continues to lead the overall elite women's standings with 2,400 points. European champion Helen Wyman (Kona), 7th in Zolder, holds steady in second at 1,874 points followed by Vos in third at 1,760 points.

The Netherlands continues to lead the elite women's nations standings at 4,430 points, followed closely in second by Great Britain, 56 points back. The United States remains in third overall at 3,539 points.

It's no surprise that junior men's world champion and World Cup leader Mathieu van der Poel leads the overall standings as the young Dutchman remained undefeated for the 2012-2013 season with a commanding victory in Zolder. Runner-up Logan Owen, the reigning US junior men's champion, moved into second overall with 105 points, exactly half the total of the Dutch leader. Belgium's Quinten Hermans dropped one position to third at 98 points.

In the junior men's nations rankings the top eight in the standings remained unchanged with the Netherlands leading at 296 points. Belgium holds second at 190 points followed by the United States with 171.