Crossed Up! for Nov. 19: U.S. and Euro rivalries heat up

By Ian Landau

After an extended hiatus to get some real work done, I’m back with a review of what’s been happening on the busy cross scene.

The U.S. season is barreling toward its conclusion in Bend, Oreg., with Nationals just three and a half weeks away. On the national stage, we’ve seen another chapter unfold in the now familiar rivalry between Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com’s Tim Johnson and Kona-FSA’s Ryan Trebon. The two riders have traded victories in most of the big races this season.

Most recently, they split top honors at the USGP Mercer Cup in New Jersey. However, neither rider leads the somewhat ridiculous USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Racing Calendar standings. Johnson’s teammate Jamey Driscoll has that “honor.” In second place is the third Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com musketeer, Jeremy Powers. Johnson rounds out the top three.

USGP Cyclocross Trenton 2009 from DH Productions LLC on Vimeo.

On the women’s side, with Katie Compton off in Europe smashing her way to victory (Compton won the Superprestige Gavere this past weekend, adding that to her World Cup wins in Nommay, France, and Treviso, Italy), perennial podium inhabitant Katerina Nash (Luna) has risen to the top. New Englander Mo Bruno Roy leads the USA Cycling standings with consistent top finishes and a win at HPCX [Ed. corrected].

This weekend the action turns to Southampton, N.Y., for the final round of the National Cyclocross Tropy series. All the big guns should be on hand to tackle promoter Myles Romanow’s always excellent course at the Southampton Youth Services Center.

In Europe we’ve seen the continental version of the Trebon-Johnson rivalry unfold between Belgians Sven Nys and Niels Albert. Nys started the season horribly but has recovered well. Still, Albert has the better of Nys as far as big wins go. But make no mistake: Nys is still the king of cross in Belgie land.

At the midweek Niel Jaarmarktcross, in Niel, Belgium, last Wednesday, the crowd turned on Albert when it thought he purposely cut off Nys at the top of a steep hill, causing Nys to unclip from his pedal while Albert took off. The crowd booed Albert, and his response was to make a gesture indicating he couldn’t hear them and should be louder. Nys got his revenge by catching Albert and then barely beating him in a two-up sprint.

Afterward, Albert said the booing made him feel like following in 2008 World Champion Lars Boom’s footsteps and switching his focus to the road.