Plaxton and Davison remain 2011 Pro XCT leaders

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Max Plaxton and Lea Davison (Specialized) are the leaders of the US Pro Cross Country Tour (US Pro XCT) following the fourth round at the Mellow Johnny's Classic in Dripping Springs, Texas, on Saturday.

Plaxton beat his teammate Todd Wells and Sam Schultz (Subaru-Trek) for the win in the most recent men's round. On a 90-degree (Fahrenheit) day during which several riders wore ice vests at the starting line, Plaxton used a surge on the last lap to overtake Wells for the win. Plaxton had started the last lap with a deficit of approximately five seconds.

"I let Todd push the pace at the start and just kind of sat on Sid (Taberlay) and Sam," Plaxton said. "But when Todd got that gap, I knew I couldn't wait too long to catch him. When I got on my own, I found that I was riding that stuff faster than anyone."

As a result, Plaxton has opened a 40-point margin over Wells in the US Pro XCT standings. Schultz, Jeremiah Bishop (Cannondale Factory), who was absent from round four and Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Trek) round out the top five. Stephen Ettinger (BMC Mountainbike Development) is the top Under 23 rider, sitting in ninth place.

In the women's round four, Georgia Gould (Luna Pro) finished five seconds ahead of Davison and Daniela Campuzano (Turbo Bike Team).

Gould opened an early lead and never relented. "I wanted to be in front and pick my lines," Gould said. "I just rode my own race."

Davison tried to stay with Gould in the early stages of the race, but changed her strategy at the midpoint. "It was important to relax and ride your own race because when I was focused on catching Georgia, I was all over the place," Davison said.

With her most recent victory, Gould narrowed Davison's lead in the women's US Pro XCT standings to 10 points. Chloe Forsman (BMC Mountainbike Development), who finished fifth in the race, is 170 points behind Davison in third. Erica Zaveta (BMC Mountainbike Development) is the top American Under 23 women's rider, in 13th place.

In the team standings, Specialized USA Factory Racing has a 36-point edge on Subaru-Trek. Luna Pro sits in third place, 10 points ahead of the BMC MTB Development Team. Specialized Factory Racing completes the top five.

The US Pro XCT heads next to the Subaru Cup in Mt. Morris, Wisconsin on June 25.  The series is run by USA Cycling.

See Cyclingnews' full coverage of the US Pro XCT round at the Mellow Johnny's Classic.

US Pro XCT Standings