2018 International Cyclocross Rankings

Mathieu Still Leading Wout: Can Anyone Get Around Him?

It's almost not worth looking at the top placing in the International Men's field at this point, since Mathieu Van der Poel seems downright unstoppable. 

But at DVV Flandriencross (locally known as Hamme), he was chased by teammate Tom Meeusen, which could mean that Mathieu is getting tired, Tom had the ride of his season, or Mathieu was just holding back since there's another World Cup next weekend. (And the 10 hour drive from the Tabor World Cup in the Czech Republic left him a bit fatigued.)

Close racing in the lead group is certainly missing a bit this season, that's for sure. Lars Van der Haar impressed with a solid World Cup and Tabor ride, and Wout was noticably absent on the World Cup podium this weekend, with a 7th place finish. 

Farther down in the field, we see U23 racers like Thomas Pidcock moving up thanks to great rides in the U23 field and Superprestige Gavere, and the Americans left in the top 25 drop by one, leaving only three men standing. 

Meanwhile, Pan-Ams and the European Championships, both with separate U23 races, shook up standings even more.

(Before we dive in, a reminder that the rankings are based on UCI ranking, racing trends this season, and plenty of subjective intel, wild speculation, Instagram Stories and industry gossip.)