2018 International Cyclocross Rankings

Mathieu Van Der Poel Still In Top Spot, Wout Ousted In Natio...

A very Nationals-heavy rankings set this week, thanks to all of the European countries hosting their championship races this past weekend. That, combined with only two races run the first weekend of January, makes for a very weird set of rankings, since many of the top men weren't racing with against other. 

Americans particularly have had a lull in racing, since this weekend provided no chances for U.S. or Canadian riders to get out and race, but they are having a great time training together in Spain!

The big news was the battle between Wout van Aert and Toon Aerts in the Belgium National Championship, where Toon took his first elite title, ousting Wout after three straight wins for the current world champion.

And, shocking no one, Mathieu Van der Poel defended his national title and won another race the next day (and won both the DVV and Gullegem the weekend prior.). Let's dive in!

(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.)