Here’s the latest column and power rankings from Pavé’s own cross-correspondent, Erik Mitchell. Be sure to check-out Erik’s new site, The Run-Up, for all things ‘cross!

Last week I made a bold statement saying that Niels Albert will dominate any race he enters. As many suspected, I was wrong. However, I did predict that Sven Nys would get out of his early season funk and remind us all why he’s the greatest cross racer of all time. His victory at the Nacht van Woerden was predictable against a smaller, lackluster, field. However, the way he won Koppenberg Cross was remarkable. Albert put in a great performance considering his poor start and other issues, but eventually cracked and was saved only by the fact that no one else took advantage of it. The other usual suspects were at the front, the only surprise coming from Zdenk Stybar, who launched an attack that eventually failed. It was very interesting to see these younger guys start to go for the win rather than just ride in the shadows of Nys and Albert.

I terms of the rankings, Sven Nys is clearly back, which means the fun can now begin. The Albert/Nys show should continue to be the big story as the season progresses with an imminent head-to-head battle at the World Championships. I’m officially back on the Nys bandwagon and was happy to give him the Number One spot this week. The sub-plot comes from the riders battling for podium spots.

While neither Nys nor Albert is a shoe-in, they clearly are the most dominant riders right now. However, as we saw this past weekend, the other guys in the lead group are no longer afraid and will continue to attack and try to shake the two superstars. Stybar gave it his shot, and Klaas Vantornout and Kevin Pauwels weren’t far behind. One of these guys will pick up a big win this year and it’s nice to see that they haven’t given up yet. It was good nice to see Francis Mourey pick-up a top-10. He’s been sticking to the World Cups thus far and has proven he’s a very strong rider; if he continues to ride well he’ll be an outside candidate for a podium at future World Cup races. It should be noted that Jonathan Page dropped from the rankings this week. While Page is riding consistently, he’s not one of the the top 10 riders in Europe. A good result here or there will change that, but a top-10 in a small mid-week race was not enough to keep him in the rankings.

Speaking of American riders, action at the USGP heated-up with Ryan Trebon and Tim Johnson picking up victories. It would appear that Ryan Trebon may be the best rider in the US right now, but two nasty crashes on Sunday eliminated him from a second duel with Johnson. The big news of the weekend was Jamey Driscoll picking up the USGP leaders jersey after another weekend of consistent riding with two second places. Like Stybar in Europe, Driscoll has gone largely unnoticed as he continues to place on the podium every weekend. Davide Frattini put in a solid performance again as did Chris Jones and Geoff Kabush. Barry Wicks fell off the podium, but managed to stay inside the top-10 both days. Jesse Anthony continued his streakyness with a 4th and 8th place in Kentucky, proving that when he shows up he can hang with the best.

In Maine, Dan Timmerman picked up two more UCI victories. The “Bearded Wonder” stayed close to home and took a commanding lead of the NECCS series. While the field wasn’t as stacked as in Kentucky, Timmerman’s performances show that he’s one of the best in the US right now. Katie Compton was noticeably absent this past weekend, but will return to action in Colorado this week before heading back to Europe.

Much like last week, the top-5 in both rankings remain largely intact, just in a different order. At this point in the season the surprises are coming from within the lead group and I don’t expect many major changes to occur for the rest of the season. Behind the top-5 is where the real action is though. Most of these riders will continue to jump on and off the list due to their lack of consistency. Obviously, in the US there are more changes in the lower spots due to the fact that virtually every weekend, the main contenders are spread across the country. The only exception is Katie Compton, who decided to take these past two weekends off before embarking on a National and World Championship campaign.

Time to see where everybody is this week, here are the rankings:

North American Rankings:

1. Tim Johnson (1) – Johnson continues to be one of the strongest riders in the US. It’s tough when his two other teammates are also super strong, but Johnson appears to be a bit better. The only rider that seems capable of preventing Johnson from picking up another National Championship—at least right now—is Ryan Trebon.
2. Jamey Driscoll (5) – Honestly, Driscoll was very close to becoming my #1. His lack of victories isn’t surprising in the grand scheme of things, but his consistency is remarkable. Eventually he’ll push through to the top, but it’s nice to see him rewarded for his efforts with the USGP leader’s jersey this weekend.
3. Ryan Trebon (2) – Trebon and Jonathan Page seem to be the only riders capable of surviving the three-pronged Cyclocrossworld.com attack. If Trebon had not crashed twice on Sunday, he probably would have won and would be #1. He’ll get his chance this weekend in Colorado.
4. Dan Timmerman (6) – Timmerman is here to stay. He’s proved that he can win and ride with the other heads of state. His come-from-behind effort on Sunday was remarkable and he appears to be all set for the NECCS title, but his real surprising result could come at Nationals.
5. Jeremy Powers (5) – Reportedly suffering from some sort of illness, Powers stumbled a bit this weekend. He was able to pick-up 3rd on Sunday and if he’s able to recover, he should be back on the podium this weekend in Colorado.
6. Geoff Kabush (na) – Two top-5 finishes proved that the Canadian Champion has found his form. He took last weekend off, which may pay-off in the long run, but he still lacks a big US win this year.
7. Chris Jones (na) – It’s time to stop referring to Jones as ‘that roadie who decided to race cross’. He has shown remarkable consistency this year, but I don’t expect him to pick-up a big win anytime soon. However, I expect him to consistently make the lead group as the season goes on.
8. Jesse Anthony (na) – ‘Down, but not out’ is the best way to describe Anthony’s season. He hasn’t shown consistency and appears to be one step behind the leaders, but a rider with Anthony’s palmares can never be counted out.
9. Barry Wicks (4) – Wicks’ streak of podium appearances came to an end this week. Everyone is going to have an off-week though and this may have been his. If it was, 9th and 6th aren’t bad ways to finish.
10. Davide Frattini (7) – Frattini finally had some success outside of the Mid-Atlantic. I’m a bit surprised that he’s heading out to Colorado this weekend rather than racing in New Jersey. Perhaps he’s going to prove that he belongs with the big boys.

Dropped this week: Valentin Scherz (8), Derrick St. John (9) and Tristan Schouten (10).

International Rankings:

1. Sven Nys (3) – It’s a long season in Europe and Nys’ no panic attitude appears to be paying off. He’s still leading the Superprestige Series, is tied for the lead in the GVA Trophy, and is a few wins shy of the UCI overall and the lead in the World Cup. Nys is back.
2. Niels Albert (1) – Despite cracking this weekend, Albert is still in the driver’s seat. His results are solid and one weekend of not dominating the competition is expected. There’s still a big question mark surrounding the World Champ when it comes to a full season of racing though, something he missed out on last year.
3. Klaas Vantornout (5) – Vantornout picked-up a well-deserved 3rd place at Koppenberg cross. He’s one of the riders who are a part of the lead group, but are lacking that knockout punch. It will be interesting to see if he can find it.
4. Kevin Pauwels (4) – Pauwels continues to show that he’s the breakout star of this season. He’s learning that it’s a different world in the lead group, but has proved that he belongs there. I’m hopeful he’ll pull-out a big victory this year, but even if he doesn’t he’s having a superb season.
5. Zdenk Stybar (2) – Stybar showed that he’s not willing to settle for podium places behind Albert and Nys. While his attack was unsuccessful, he held on for 5th place. The scariest part? This is his worst result of the season.
6. Francis Mourey (6) – The 5th place World Cup race master finally showed his face and legs at a non-World Cup race. He ended up 6th (his worst result this season), but managed to stick with the lead group. It will be interesting to see how much racing he does before the next World Cup race in November.
7. Gerben de Knegt (na) – de Knegt gets this spot due to a solid 9th place at Koppenberg Cross and a 2nd place, behind Nys, at the midweek race in Woerden. He’s one of the riders who will pop-off and on this list for the rest of the season.
8. Bart Aernouts (na) – Aernouts was the last man dropped from the lead group on Sunday, but held on for 7th. He has shown he’s a solid rider with some good results this year, but needs to show more consistency to stay in the rankings.
9. Erwin Vervecken (8) – Vervecken will get very few gifts from me this season despite the fact that it’s his last. This week was no exception. An 8th in Woerden and a 10th at Koppenberg proved the elder statesmen still has what it takes. And don’t worry, he’ll pick up a big win this year as well.
10. Katie Compton (10) – Compton didn’t race for the second week in a row. However, she still remains the most dominant woman in cross this year. Thus, she retains her 10th place spot this week. She’ll be back in action in Colorado, and I expect fireworks.

Dropped this week: Christian Heule (7) and Jonathan Page (9).

Racing this week begins Wednesday with another round of the TOI TOI cup. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the big Czechs like Stybar shows-up and wins. Stateside, the action is split (what else is new?) between Colorado and New Jersey. It would appear everyone who was in Kentucky is heading-out to Colorado for two rounds of the NACT. Those interested in picking up some UCI points and stayer closer to home will be in New Jersey for two rounds of the MAC. The biggest story in the US could be Katie Compton’s return to racing in Colorado. The biggest international race of the weekend will be in Hoogstraten, Belgium on Sunday where Sven Nys will try to take another Superprestige victory against a star-studded field. The added bonus is that the Hoogstraten race is also the European Championship which means there’s even more prestige (no pun intended) in winning. All in all, it’s going to be another exciting weekend!

What about you? Questions, comments, wisecracks? Share them all below.

Erik’s back on track this week with his latest cyclocross report and Power Ranking. You can read more reports and analysis over at his site, The Run-up. Feel free to share your comments and feedback below.

We’re 10 weeks into the season and one fact has remained true: cyclocross is unpredictable. Determining the best rider in Europe and North America is tough. Once again, Ryan Trebon and Tim Johnson split victories in the US. In Europe, Sven Nys picked up another victory, as did Niels Albert. So what can we determine from this past week of racing? In the US, Ryan Trebon may be the best one-day rider with Tim Johnson a close second. In Europe, Nys can still win, but Albert always wins on the bigger stage. And it appears that neither of these trends will end anytime soon. Nys still seems to be one step behind Albert, for whatever reason he can come up with. Meanwhile, Ryan Trebon looks to be the odds-on favorite for a repeat at Nationals unless Johnson can make it a multi-day affair. Behind, there’s a whole cast of characters chomping at the bit, but no one seems to be able to break through. Even Stybar struggled to move-off the third step of the podium this past week.

Niels Albert captured another marquee victory at the Superprestige race in Gavere, Belgium. He also quietly picked-up a victory on Saturday in the Wallone region, although both Nys and Stybar were absent. The week started well for Nys, who won a tough victory at Jaarmarktcross and is probably ruing the fact that it’s no longer a GVA Trophy race. To his credit, a bad start and an untimely multi-mechanical issue likely cost him his 50th career Superprestige win. It would appear that all the skill and good luck Nys has had over the last decade has caught up with him all at once. Even Albert acknowledged that Nys was the better rider on the day though. I have high hopes that Nys and Albert will engage in a long slugfest over the next few months and am gaining a sneaking suspicion that Nys may prevail in the end.

Speaking of a slugfest, the long awaited battle between Tim Johnson and Ryan Trebon didn’t disappoint in a messy pair of races in New Jersey. Saturday’s race was a mud-fest thanks to a mid-November hurricane, while Sunday’s race brought warm temperatures and a dryer, sticker, course. As I alluded to earlier, Ryan Trebon seems to be the best rider in the US right now–at least in one-day events. While he made big strides in expanding his USGP lead though, Trebon still seems unable to win two days in a row as he got the best of Johnson on Saturday, but was unable to back it up on Sunday. Luckily for Trebon, the National Championships are a one-day event.

Before I jump into this weeks ranking’s, I must admit that it was hard to keep Todd Wells off the North American list. I saw him ride on Sunday and it was simply phenomenal. I’m not sure if he’ll ever return to the National Championship level he once had, but for the second year in a row, he’s had a great ride in Jersey. Job well done, Todd! Here are the rankings:

1. Ryan Trebon (8) – Trebon’s assault on a muddy USGP course in New Jersey was very impressive. And his 2nd-place on Day Two was very well-earned. One thing’s for sure: Trebon is the best single day cross rider in the country, and that’s good enough for the top spot on the rankings this week.
2. Tim Johnson (7) – Johnson flip-flopped with Trebon this week and looked very impressive on Sunday. He’ll have a chance to sew-up the NACT next weekend in Long Island and looks poised for a solid European campaign. The odds are against him come mid-December, but if anybody can storm into the Northwest and win, he can.
3. Jamey Driscoll (1) – Driscoll busted his ass to finish 3rd on Saturday and paid the price on Sunday with a 5th-place finish. He’s still the most consistent rider in the US and is definitely worth a 3rd-place ranking. It’s hard to believe that he’s only 24.
4. Davide Frattini (na) – Frattini is golden—when he shows up. He continues to impress the cross community when he races, even though he hasn’t won since September. He’s still an Italian citizen so I expect him to head to Europe in December and represent his nation at Worlds. Then we’ll see if his “US cross plan” pays off.
5. Barry Wicks (na) – Wicks returned to the national spotlight with a pair of top-10’s in New Jersey. He’s riding really well this season, but he rarely sticks with the lead group. Nationals are in his backyard though; perhaps he’s planning a huge performance in December.
6. Chris Jones (na) – In my opinion, Jones has been a full-time cross rider for nearly a month now. He continues to impress, especially with his 4th-place in the slop on Saturday. His 10th on Sunday was a result of his efforts on Saturday. It would no surprise me to see Jones finish inside the top-5 of the rankings at the end of the year.
7. Geoff Kabush (na) – Kabush finished a solid 4th on Sunday after missing the top-10 Saturday. He raced a long and successful mountain bike season this year and I think he’s paying the price a bit. It will be interesting to see what type of European campaign he mounts ahead of Worlds.
8. Valentin Scherz (9) – The “Swiss Sensation” continues to ride well. Honestly, I had higher expectations for him this weekend, but a pair of top-10 is nothing to be ashamed of. He’s my outside pick for a medal at Worlds. It will be interesting to see if racing with the big boys pays-off when he heads back to Europe and races as a U23.
9. Dan Timmerman (3) – Timmerman slipped a bit this week due to his lack of results. He’s still one of the best riders in the country though, and has had only one other lackluster weekend this year. I still expect a top-5 result from him at Nationals.
10. Jeremy Powers (2) – Powers was unexplainably absent this past weekend. He’s not on the list for the Super Cross Cup races in New York this weekend either (but neither is Tim Johnson, and we know he’ll be there). Another week as an MIA, and Powers will be off the ranking.

Dropped this week: Nicholas Weighall (4), Derrick St. John (5), Adam Craig (6) and Jesse Anthony (10).

1. Niels Albert (1) – Albert was one of the few riders to do three races this past week. He finished 2nd to Nys in Niel, but then won the next two. He continues to best Nys on the big stage and as a result, expanded his Superprestige lead. However, as Nys showed in Gavere, the gap between the two is closing.
2. Sven Nys (3) – Nys moves-up a spot as a result of his win and 2nd-place this past week. He neglected to race on Saturday and looked on-track for a big win on Sunday before a flat and mechanical spoiled his plans. His 50th victory will have to wait, but may come sooner than you think.
3. Zdenek Stybar (2) – Stybar picked-up a pair of 3rd’s behind Nys and Albert with two solid performances. He may have been able to pull of a huge upset, but was thwarted by an untimely crash at Jaarmarktcross. A big victory for the Czech is right around the corner.
4. Kevin Pauwels (4) – Pauwels remains inside the top-5 after another decent performance—this time in Gavere. While he narrowly lost the sprint for 3rd, he was still over a minute ahead of the rest of the competition.
5. Francis Mourey (5) – Mourey usually gets bounced from the Power Rankings after the World Cups because he doesn’t race in other events. However, he picked-up a second place behind Albert on Saturday in Wallonia, and that’s good enough to maintain a spot in the top-5.
6. Bart Aernouts (na) – Aernouts had a very consistent week with three top-10 results. He seems capable of some top-5’s, but podium spots will continue to elude him. I’m gaining more confidence that he’ll finally crack the top-10 at a World Cup race this year as well.
7. Enrico Franzoi (10) – Like Aernouts, Franzoi picked-up three top-10 places this past week. He continues to be a chase group rider, but his dedication to cross (he left Liquigas to pursue a cyclocross career) gives me hope that he’ll move-up to the lead group at some point.
8. Gerben de Knegt (8) – de Knegt skipped Saturday’s race, but took two top-10 finishes at the two races he entered. He continues to show improvement and is now a solid top-10 rider, however the top-5 is out of his reach.
9. Radomir Simunek (7) – Simunek had solid results all week, narrowly missing on a top-10 result at the Superprestige. He’s still not a big-race rider, but his consistency is improving and thus remains in the rankings.
10. Klaas Vantornout (na) – Vantornout finally showed-up to race. He blamed over-training for his poor results over the past few weeks and backed it up with a 5th place on Sunday. Perhaps a new training plan has him back on track. Only time will tell.

Dropped this week: Martin Zlamalik (6) and Christian Heule (9).

In Europe, it will be another Albert/Nys/Stybar showdown as Belgium hosts both a Superprestige and GVA Trophy race. Nys is the odds-on favorite to win the Superprestige round on Sunday, but both Albert and Stybar will be looking to spoil his fun.

Domestically, the NACT returns to New York with two rounds on Long Island. Trebon looks ready to go, as does Johnson. Will it be a two-way split again; or will one of them be able to put back-to-back winning rides together? Your guess is as good as mine.

Enjoy the weekend ahead! Share your comments and feedback below.