The US Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross continues with its third of four double-race weekends, heading to snowy Fort Collins, Colorado for the first time in series history.
Wintry conditions will make a fitting setting for the closely fought battle between series leader Jeremy Powers and his Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld teammate Tim Johnson.
The duo are tied at 174 points, leading Todd Wells (Specialized) with 107, while Tristan Schouten (cyclocrossracing.com/Blue/Rolf) and Ryan Trebon (Kona) trail in at 98 and 94 points, respectively. With 100 points on the line this weekend and two more races in Portland in December, the series is by no means decided.
It may be too early for frozen ground, but the conditions are expected to mimic those in which Johnson prevailed to win the US national championships in Bend, Oregon last December, with plenty of mud and a deceptively challenging course.
On the women's side, the races will be on the home turf of the series leader Georgia Gould (Luna Pro Team) and second-placed Meredith Miller (California Giant-Specialized), while fellow Colorado resident Katie Compton (Planet Bike), currently third, will also be looking for home state glory.
Gould leads with 180 points after sweeping the last round in Louisville, Kentucky. Miller's consistent performances put her in second with 122 points, while Compton, who missed the Kentucky round, is in third with 100 points having won the two opening rounds in Wisconsin.
The weekend will also host UCI-classified races for juniors. That category is currently the domain of Hot Tubes' Yannick Eckmann, who is undefeated in the four USGP rounds to date.
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