Van der Haar and Compton ranked first on final UCI 'cross standings

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With the 2013-2014 cyclo-cross season complete, Lars van der Haar (Rabobank Development Team) and Katie Compton (Trek Cyclocross Collective) finished as the top-ranked elite men's and elite women's riders respectively on the final UCI cyclo-cross standings. Belgium's Yannick Peeters topped the junior men's UCI rankings.

Van der Haar had led the elite men's standings since the December 31, 2013 tabulation which followed the 22-year-old Dutchman's victory in the fifth round of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. Van der Haar finished the season with 1,771 points, 133 more than runner-up Sven Nys (Crelan-AA Drink) and 283 more than third-placed Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus).

Throughout the season van der Haar won six races, including a repeat win in the Dutch national championship plus three World Cup rounds, and finished as the overall elite men's World Cup champion.

Also of note in the final elite men's standings was Mathieu van der Poel's final position of eighth overall with 1,326 points. The 19-year-old Dutchman, in his first year in the U23 ranks, started the year with zero points but made very steady progress to rise through the standings and ultimately finish in the top 10. Van der Poel raced 28 times this season and only missed the podium on three separate occasions, with his worst race of the season an 8th place finish at the final Superprestige round. He won 12 races, including the Dutch U23 title and four World Cup rounds, and won two of the three major series: World Cup and Superprestige.

Another 19-year-old who was frequently van der Poel's toughest competitor, Belgium's Wout Van Aert, finished 10th overall and captured the U23 world championship plus the Bpost Bank Trofee series title.

Jeremy Powers (Rapha Focus) finished as the highest-ranked North American 'cross racer in 15th place with 728 points.

With Belgium's three best elite men finishing second, third, and fourth on the final standings it's no surprise that the country topped the final nations standings in dominant fashion. Belgium amassed 4,588 points, followed by the Netherlands in second with 3,981 and Germany rounding out the top three with 2,461 points.

Katie Compton led the UCI women's 'cross standings from start to finish throughout the season and finished with 2,070 points. European and British 'cross champion Helen Wyman (Kona) placed second overall with 1,838 points while Marianne Vos (Rabo Liv), who won the seventh 'cross world championship of her career this season, placed third overall at 1,820 points.

Compton won 14 races this season, including a 10th straight US national title, five World Cup rounds as well as her second straight overall World Cup title.

Great Britain finished as the top-ranked nation for elite women with 4,213 points. Belgium followed in second at 3,589 points with the United States rounding out the top three at 3,485 points.

European champion Yannick Peeters finished as the highest ranked junior men's 'cross racer with 253 points. Czech champion Adam Toupalik placed second overall at 204 points followed by Belgium's Thijs Aerts, this season's junior men's world champion, in third at 171 points.

Belgium finished as the top nation for junior men with 559 points, 289 more than runner-up Czech Republic and 335 more than third-placed Netherlands.