NCC: Clarke's win fortifies his standings lead

The USA Cycling National Criterium Calendar (NCC) raced through its 11th event of the year as the men contested the Middle Earth Tour of Somerville in Somerville, N.J., on Memorial Day. After winning Monday's race in New Jersey, Hilton Clarke has reasserted himself as the rider to beat.

The NCC men's standings are unchanged after the Middle Earth Tour of Somerville on Monday. Hilton Clarke (AUS/UnitedHealthcare) collected 100 points after winning the race and now leads Carlos Alzate Escobar (COL/UnitedHealthcare), who placed third in the race, by 68 points. Shane Kline (Bally, Pa./Team SmartStop p/b Mountain Khakis) remains in third place after placing fifth on Monday. Kline now has 490 points, 286 points behind Escobar and 85 points ahead of Luke Keough (Sandwich, Mass./UnitedHealthcare). Karl Menzies (AUS/UnitedHealthcare) finished second to Clarke on Monday to boost his season-long point total to 351, 54 points behind Keough.

The NCC women's standings are unchanged after the women enjoyed a week of rest. Erica Allar (Tucson, Ariz./CARE4CYCLING powered by Solomon Corp) holds the top spot of the standings with 698 points, 313 points ahead of Laura Van Gilder (Cresco, Pa./Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers), who is in second place with 385 points. A hard-charging Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Cedar Springs, Mich./Fearless Femme p/b Pure Energy) has surged up the standings recently and now is in third place, only 10 points behind van Gilder. Cliff-Ryan's teammate, Kimberley Wells (AUS/Fearless Femme p/b Pure Energy) holds fourth place with 262 points, 43 points ahead of Jennifer Purcell (Austin, Texas/Colavita-Fine Cooking), who is in fifth place with 219 points.

With 2,343 points, UnitedHeathcare extended its lead in the NCC men's team standings to 1,218 points over Team SmartStop p/b Mountain Khakis, which has 1,125 points. Jamis Hagens Berman holds third place with 256 points, 47 points ahead of Champion System p/b Stan's NoTubes. Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies is only three points out of fourth place with 206 points.

Allar's CARE4CYCLING powered by Solomon team leads the NCC women's team standings with917 points. Colavita-Fine Cooking is in second place, 354 points behind the leader and 166 ahead of the third-place team, Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies. Exergy TWENTY16 is only 34 points out of third place with 363 points. Team TIBCO/ To the Top rounds out of the top five teams with 259 points.

Full results from the Middle Earth Tour of Somerville.