NRC: Holcomb clinches women's title after Labor Day Omnium

September 7, 2011

NRC: Holcomb clinches women's title with only two races remaining after Labor Day Omnium

Despite heading overseas to contest the Giro Toscana with USA Cycling's National Development Program, Janel Holcomb (San Diego, Calif./Colavita-Forno d'Asolo) has clinched the women's individual title on the 2011 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar (NRC). The men's individual title remains up for grabs with two events remaining.

The Sunbrella Labor Day Omnium highlighted the NRC over the Labor Day weekend. No changes were made to the top 10 in either the team or individual standings, but Cesar Grajales (Decatur, Ga./RealCyclist.com) and Sarah Fader (Takoma Park, Md./Team Sticky Fingers) came away with big late-season victories, winning the men's and women's overall omniums in Anderson, S.C.

Women

With only one women's race remaining on the women's NRC, Janel Holcomb (San Diego, Calif./Colavita-Forno d'Asolo) has locked in the 2011 title. One of three Colavita-Forno d'Asolo riders atop women's individual NRC standings, Holcomb officially moved into the NRC lead following the Cascade Classic on July 26 and never looked back.

Holcomb's teammate, Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Cedar Springs, Mich.) made a late-season surge up the standings and now sits in third. Canadian Leah Kirchmann (CAN/Colavita-Forno d'Asolo) holds second, a solid 235 points behind Holcomb, but only 28 points ahead of Cliff-Ryan. Erinne Willock (CAN/Team TIBCO to the Top) is just 16 points behind Cliff-Ryan in fourth place while Amber Neben (Lake Forest, Calif./HTC-Highroad Women) is currently in fifth place.

The top spot of the women's team NRC standings has already been decided for Colavita-Forno d'Asolo. TIBCO to the Top has a firm grip on second place, holding a 1,463-point lead on HTC-Highroad Women. Diadora Pasta Zara sits in fourth place with 531 points, which is 70 points better than Primal-MapMyRide.

Sunbrella Labor Day Criterium

Addyson Albershardt (Matthews, N.C./MS-NOW) won Friday's opening time trial at the Sunbrella Labor Day Criterium, but it was Fader who came away the big winner after taking victories in both Saturday's criterium and Sunday's circuit race to easily win the overall. FULL Labor Day Omnium RESULTS

Men

The men's NRC standings remained unchanged following last weekend's South Carolina event. Francisco Mancebo (ESP/Realcyclist.com) continues to lead the standings with only a pair of events remaining. Jacobe Keough (Sandwich, Mass./UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling) sits in second only 130 points behind. Luis Romero Amaran (CUB/Jamis-Sutter Home) is in third, just 46 points behind Keough while Jonathan Cantwell (AUS/Team Fly V) is only 24 points out of third. Frank Pipp (Boulder, Colo./Bissell Pro Cycling) trails Cantwell by 162 points in fifth place.

In the men's team standings, UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling trails the leader, Bissell Professional Cycling, by 176 points. Jamis-Sutter Home is in third place, only 258 points behind UnitedHealthcare. Team Exergy and Realcyclist.com continue to alternate between fourth and fifth places. Team Exergy sits in fourth, holding a 195-point cushion on Realcyclist.com.

Sunbrella Labor Day Criterium

Andrew Baker (Easley, S.C./Bissell) smoked Friday's Labor Day Omnium time trial, Thomas Brown (Athens, Ga./Team Mountain Khakis) took the crit on Saturday and Demis Aleman (Cornelius, N.C./Jamis Sutter Home) won the circuit race. Each winner however had Grejales on his heels as the Realcyclist.com rider easily took the men's overall at the Labor Day Omnium.

NRC standings

COMING UP

The Univest Grand Prix is next up on the NRC for men only. The 1.HC-rated NRC event offers maximum points for a one-day and will likely decide both the men's individual and team titles. The Capital Crit p/b WCSA will be the final men's and women's NRC event of 2011, Oct. 2 in Washington, D.C.

PHOTOS (top to bottom):

Janel Holcomb won the 2011 Tour de Toona in route to her NRC overall victory. (Photo by Jonathan Devich)

Over 75 riders contested the men's pro category of the Sunbrella Labor Day Omnium. (Photo courtesy FanZing Photography)

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