NRC: Keough closes in on NRC lead after Manhattan Beach & Glencoe

June 27, 2011

Keough closes in on NRC lead as Manhattan Beach and Glencoe crits highlight calendar's mid-point

Men

Two of the nation's top criteriums, the Glencoe Grand Prix presented by AT&T and the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix highlighted the men's portion of the USA Cycling National Racing Calendar last weekend.

Jacobe Keough (Sandwich, Mass./UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team p/b Maxxis) narrowed Francisco Mancebo's (ESP/Realcyclist.com) lead in the men's NRC standings with his third-place finish in the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix on Sunday. Jonathan Cantwell (AUS/Fly V Australia-Virgin Blue) also used his second-place finish in one of California's premier criteriums to move into third place in the overall USA Cycling National Racing Calendar just over mid-way through the 28-race schedule.

After taking up the sport only three years ago as a collegiate racer, Eric Young (Bloomington, Ind./Bissell Pro Cycling) recorded his first NRC victory on Saturday in the Glencoe Grand Prix presented by AT&T, the 15th of 28 NRC events on the season. Young, a Geneva, Wisconsin native, was able to lap the field with a large group in the 85-kilometer criterium and went on to out-sprint Anibal Borrajo (ARG/Jamis-Sutter Home) and Ken Hanson (Santa Barbara, Calif./Jelly Belly p/b Kenda) much to the delight of the racous crowd.

Check out full results from Glencoe.

In Sunday's 50th annual Manhattan Beach Grand Prix it was Carlos Alzate (COL/Team Exergy) taking the lion's share of the $15,000 prize purse for the pro men's NRC race. Alzante outsprinted Jonathan Cantwell (AUS/Fly V Australia-Virgin Blue) and the NRC's current second-place rider, Keough, for the win on the technical, paper clip-like course in front of nearly 8,000 fans in Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Check out full results from the MBGP.

United Healthcare and Bissell Pro Cycling still have a strong hold on the top of the men's NRC team standings (reflecting updated men's team NRC rosters), but Team Exergy made strong move into the top five, landing in fourth place this week.

Women

With most of the nation's top ladies contesting the USA Cycling Road National Championships in Augusta, there was no women's NRC event last weekend. The women's NRC standings therefore remain unchanged after the Nature Valley Grand Prix when Amber Neben (Lake Forest, Calif./HTC-Highroad Women) gained a slight lead over Janel Holcomb (San Diego, Calif./Colavita-Forno d'Asolo).

In the women's NRC team standings (reflecting updated women's team NRC rosters), Colavita-Forno d'Asolo continues to hold a 700+-point lead over second-place Team TIBCO-To the Top. HTC-Highroad women are sitting comfortably in third, ahead of Diadora Pasta Zara and Primal/MapMyRider Women's Racing.

NRC standings

COMING UP:

The long-running Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic, scheduled for July 3, has been cancelled due to a devastating fire along key portions of the criterium course. We wish the city of Fitchburg the best in the re-building and look forward to the race's resurgance next season.

Therefore, the next race on USA Cycling's NRC Calendar is the Tour de Toona stage race in Altoona, Pa. The event has been shorten to a four-stage event with a time trial on July 6, road races on the 7th and 9th and a criterium on the 10th. Toona will serve as an NRC event for both men and women, offering a total prize purse of $110,000.

Inaugural National Time Trial Calendar continues at Road Nationals

USA Cycling's National Time Trial Calendar continued with Thursday's time trial competition at the USA Cycling Juniors, U23 Elite National Championships. Following the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Time Trial, last week's nationals TT marks the second of five events on the inaugural time trial calendar which aims to encourage more opportunity for entry into the sport of cycling.

Evelyn Stevens (Dennis, Mass./HTC-Highroad) earned the all-important elite women's time trial national title, moving her into a tie for second overall with Kristin McGrath who won the Ironhorse event. Amber Neben (Lake Forest, Calif./HTC-Highroad) earned the national championship silver medal to move into a tie for fourth with French cycling legend Jeannie Longo who also contested the Ironhorse event. After finishing sixth in the national championship time trial, Carmen Small (Durango, Colo./Team TIBCO-To the Top ) holds the series lead with a five point edge.

A part of the open category and ranked with the elites based on time, U23 time trial national champion Nathan Brown (Covington, Tenn./Trek-Livestrong) joined Ironhorse TT winner LeRoy Popowski (Colorado Springs, Colo./Team juwi solar-First Solar) in the men's open lead.

Check out the complete standings of all the various National Time Trial Calendar age groups and divisions.

NTTC standings

COMING UP:

Next up on USA Cycling's National Time Trial Calendar is the Blazing Saddles Time Trial in Philipsburg, Mont. on July 2.

PHOTOS (top to bottom):

Carlos Alzante wins Sunday's 50th Manhattan Beach Grand Prix.
By: Brian Hodes - Veloimages.com

Nathan Brown posted the best time in the men's open category to earn the maximum amount of points for the USA Cycling NTTC at last weekend's time trial national championships.
By: Jonathan Devich - Epic Images

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