Mancebo reclaims spot atop US NRC rankings

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Two races last weekend caused big ripples in both the USA Cycling National Race Calendar and the National Criterium Calendar standings.

Competitive Cyclist's Francisco Mancebo, the 2011 NRC overall winner, reclaimed his spot atop the NRC rankings with a well-earned victory at Sunday's Tour of the Battenkill, the second race of the series. The day before in North Carolina, UnitedHealthcare's Hilton Clarke added to his NCC lead at the Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium, while Primal-Map My Ride's Nicky Wangsgard took the women's lead with her first NCC win.

Mancebo survives brutal Battenkill for NRC lead

Mancebo's win at Battenkill, where well over half the field did not finish, boosted him to a nine-point advantage over previous leader Phil Gaimon (Kenda/5-Hour Energy), who won the series-opening Redlands Bicycle Classic but suffered a mechanical in the closing kilometers Sunday and was the last rider to finish. Bissell Pro Cycling's Paddy Bevin did not race Sunday but is third overall based on the strength of his three stage wins and second-place GC finish at Redlands. Mancebo was third in the NRC standings before Sunday's race.

In the team competiton, Bevin's Bissell squad, which won this compeition last year, moved into first place with 390 points after placing riders in third and seventh Sunday. Optum-Kelly Benenfit Strategies claimed the second and fourth spots at Battenkill to move into second overall with 358 points, while previous leader Kenda/5-Hour Energy slipped to third, just three points behind Optum.

The NRC women did not race at Battenkill, and the standings remain unchanged. Redlands winner Megan Guarnier (Tibco-To the Top), who recently placed third at Ronde van Gelderland in the Netherlands, continues to lead the individual competition by 76 points over Optum's Joelle Numainville. Alison Powers (NOW and Novartis for MS) is third with 155 points. TIBCO also leads the team competition with 296 points, while Optum is in second at 161. NOW and Novartis for MS is third with 213 points.

Clarke nips Barrajo in North Carolina to expand NCC lead

Clarke won on Saturday by less than half a second over Alejandro Borrajo (Jamis-Sutter Home) at the Carolina criterium - the second event of the 2012 NCC - padding his advantage in the rankings by 90 points over Borrajo. Clarke's UnitedHealthcare teammate Isaac Howe, who finished fourth Saturday, remains third overall, nine points behind Borrajo and 9 points ahead of teammate Jake Keogh.

Clark's United Healthcare squad also leads the team competition by 104 points over Jamis-Sutter Home. Kenda/5-Hour Energy is third, 146 points behind the leaders.

Saturday marked the first event of the women's NCC competition, which means Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium winner Wangsgard also leads the overall competition. Exergy-Twenty12's Theresa Cliff-Ryan is second overall, 30 points behind the leader, while Erica Allar (C4 Cycling-RideClean-PatentIt.com) is 48 points behind in third.

Wansgard's Primal-MapMyRide squad leads Exergy-Twenty12 by just three points in the team competition, while Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies is third, 14 points out of the lead.

The NCC resumes for the men and women Saturday at the Sunny King Criterium in Anniston, Alabama. Both the men and women will return to NRC racing with the Joe Martin Stage Race in Fayetteville, Arkansas, April 26-29.

Standings