The first two races of the seven-race US Cup-CX series at the KMC Cross Fest are in the books, and the standings in the new series sponsored by Sho-Air Cycling are starting to shape up.
Scoring for the series races is fairly straightforward. C1 events give 75 points to the winners, C2 events 70 and then points decrease roughly in increments of 5 for each subsequent place. The rider with the highest point total for the men and women at the end of the seven races takes home the $10,000 prize.
Three Woman Lead the Way
After one weekend of racing, three women stand atop the US Cup-CX standings. Kaitie Keough (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) won Friday night and her teammate Emma White (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) won on Sunday. Sandwiched between the two was Maghalie Rochette (Clif Pro Team), who finished second both days.
The result is a three-way tie for first at 135 points after the first weekend. This weekend at Charm City in Baltimore will be one to watch as the top women vie for position and others who currently sit 30 or more points off the lead look to work their way back up the standings.
2017 KMC Cross Fest Day 1 (Friday) © W. Matthews
Women's US Cup-CX Standings After Two Races
| Place | Last | First | Team | KMC-1 | KMC-2 | OVERALL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WHITE* | Emma | Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com | 65 | 70 | 135 |
| 2 | ROCHETTE | Maghalie | CLIF Pro Team | 70 | 65 | 135 |
| 3 | KEOUGH | Kaitlin | Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com | 75 | 60 | 135 |
| 4 | FAHRINGER | Rebecca | Stans NoTubes p/b Maxxis / gofahr | 50 | 55 | 105 |
| 5 | ANTHONY | Crystal | Maxxis Shimano Pro Cyclocross | 55 | 50 | 105 |
| 6 | FERRIER-BRUNEAU | Christel | Sas Macogep Aquisio | 60 | 45 | 105 |
| 7 | NOBLE | Ellen | Aspire Racing | 45 | 40 | 85 |
| 8 | KEMMERER | Arley | Fearless Femme Racing | 35 | 30 | 65 |
| 9 | CLOUSE* | Katie | Alpha Bicycle Co. - Groove Subaru | 40 | 11 | 51 |
| 10 | ARENSMAN | Allison | J.A. King p/b BRC | 25 | 25 | 50 |
| 11 | RATHBUN* | Laurel | Donnelly Sports | 30 | 14 | 44 |
| 12 | WEST* | Ruby | Cannondale p/bCyclocrossworld.com | 15 | 20 | 35 |
| 13 | LEGGE | Regina | Trek Cyclocross Collective | 20 | 13 | 33 |
| 14 | MALIK | Jennifer | American Classic Pro CX | 14 | 15 | 29 |
| 15 | GHENT | Christa | Amy D Foundation | 11 | 12 | 23 |
Ortenblad Leads the Way for the Men
Tobin Ortenblad (Santa Cruz / Donkey Label Racing) had a monster weekend at the KMC Cross Fest, taking home wins both Friday and Sunday. With the two wins, Ortenblad holds a 20-point lead over Stephen Hyde (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) and a 35-point lead over Kerry Werner (Kona Factory Racing).
Plenty of US Cup-CX points are on the line this weekend in Baltimore, with the C1 on Saturday and the C2 on Sunday. Ortenblad hs the opportunity to cement his hold on the top spot for the $10,000 prize, while others have work to do to bring him back to the pack.
Tobin Ortenblad (Santa Cruz / Donkey Label Racing) took the win Friday night. 2017 KMC Cross Fest Day 1 (Friday) © J. Curtes / Cyclocross Magazine
Men's US Cup-CX Standings After Two Races
| Place | Last | First | Team | KMC-1 | KMC-2 | OVERALL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ORTENBLAD | Tobin | Santa Cruz / Donkey Label Racing | 75 | 70 | 145 |
| 2 | HYDE | Stephen | Cannondale Cyclocrossworld | 60 | 65 | 125 |
| 3 | WERNER | Kerry | Kona Factory CX Team | 55 | 55 | 110 |
| 4 | WHITE | Curtis | Cannondale Cyclocrossworld | 45 | 60 | 105 |
| 5 | PETROV | Spencer | Aspire Racing | 70 | 20 | 90 |
| 6 | SELANDER | Bjorn | Borah Teamwear | 35 | 50 | 85 |
| 7 | WILLSEY | Cooper | Cannondale Cyclocrossworld | 40 | 45 | 85 |
| 8 | KISSEBERTH | Jack | JAM Fund / NCC | 65 | 11 | 76 |
| 9 | DRISCOLL | James | Donnelly | 50 | 25 | 75 |
| 10 | STEPHENSON | Denzel | Boulder Junior Cycling | 15 | 35 | 50 |
| 11 | RIVEROS | Hector | EVOC/QARVimports Racing Team | 30 | 15 | 45 |
| 12 | POWERS | Jeremy | Aspire Racing | 40 | 40 | |
| 13 | MILLBURN | Garry | Speedvagen MAAP | 20 | 14 | 34 |
| 14 | LINDINE | Justin | Apex/NBX/Hyperthreads | 25 | 7 | 32 |
| 15 | ELLWOOD* | Grant | BCS Elite Cross | 30 | 30 |
Stay tuned to Cyclocross Magazine for coverage of the 2017 Charm City Cross and the US Cup-CX series.
