Keough and Van Gilder Take Holeshot on USA Cycling Cyclocross National Calendar Standings

Van Gilder on top of USAC Rankings © Anthony Skorochod / cyclingcaptured.com

The USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Calendar (CXNC) kicked-off last weekend with the Nittany Lion Cross in Breinigsville, Pa.

On the grounds of the Valley Preferred Cycling Center Luke Keough (Sandwich, Mass./Champion Systems) and Laura Van Gilder (Cresco, Pa./C3-Athletes Serving Athletes) did in fact both roar to wins in the first big cyclocross race of the season.

Due to late entry, Keough had to start in the back row, but that did not seem to phase him as by the end of the first lap he was out front with a powerful lead break group. That group mostly held to the finish, where Keough was able to sneak through the inside of the final corner and hold his lead for the narrow victory.

In the women’s race Van Gilder and last year’s CXNC overall champ Maureen Bruno-Roy (Arlington, Mass./Bob’s Red Mill p/b Seven Cycles) rode away from the field of nearly 30 women from the start. Van Gilder then rode Bruno-Roy off her wheel with about half a lap remaining to finish solo, nine seconds ahead, for the win.

View full results from the Nittany Lion Cross here.

The Nittany Lion Cross is only the first of 53 total events on this season’s CXNC, so Van Gilder and Keough take the early lead.

The current standings with only one of 53 races on the full Cyclo-cross National Calendar contested are as follows:

September 18-19 will see six top-level ’cross races including: the Schoolhouse Cross and Catamont Cross in Williston, Vt., StarCrossed Cyclocross in Redmond, Wash., Charm City Cross in Baltimore, Md. and the Rad Racing GP in Issaquah, Wash.