2018 International Cyclocross Rankings

Brand Remains On Top, But The Top 5 Are So Close

It was a weird weekend for the International Rankings: Riders were racing countrymen in their National Championships across Europe, dividing the fields in significant ways (Sanne wouldn't be racing Marianne, and so on). 

The biggest split in both the men's and women's fields came from dividing Dutch and Belgian racers, so the results are a little hard to decipher. But Sanne is starting to come around in the races that matter—like defending her national title for the 10th year—while Lucinda Brand continues to school Marianne Vos and perhaps start looking like the World Championships frontrunner. 

Added to that, the Americans are largely spending time prepping for the Pont-Château and Hoogerheide World Cups, and the World Championships. 

As the Christmas series finished up and racing slowed down in Europe, but that didn't stop Katie Compton, Kaitie Keough and Maghalie Rochette from squeezing in a few races. Katie Compton even headed to the Dutch nationals course for a bit of practice time.

Former world champion mountain biker Jolanda Neff smashed her way into the rankings after a fantastic Christmas week, and she's continuing her smackdown of the women's field with a new Swiss championship title. She could be a Worlds contender if she decides to stick around for that long.

The women's rankings are nothing like the elite men's rankings, where the top spot has been the same for three months now: any one of the women in the top 10 of these rankings could win Worlds on the right day.

PS: Loving the saltiness coming from racers this season! Wout van Aert has been vocal with his complaints about racing, fellow racers, and sponsors, and this week, Sanne Cant laid down the law in an interview with Nieuwsblad, Belgium's top sport news source. 

(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.)