June 11/15 0:49 am - NRC Titles: Kirchmann Wins, Woods in Lead

Posted by Editoress on 06/11/15
 

Canadians Leah Kirchmann (Optum) won the overall U.S. National Racing Calendar (NRC) title and Mike Woods (Optum) took the lead in the men's standings after the Philadelphia Classic on Sunday.

Kirchmann took seventh at the final event of the women's NRC, amassing a winning point total of 664, which edged Lauren Stephens (Dallas, Texas/Team TIBCO-SVB), whose 13th-place result gave her a second-place 642 points. Mara Abbott (Boulder, Colo./Wiggle-Honda) held on to third with 570 points despite not recording any points at the Philadelphia International Cycling Classic, while Katie Hall's (Oakland, Calif./UnitedHealthcare) 24th-place effort on the weekend brought her point total to 486, which just edged Amber Neben's (Lake Forest, Calif./FCS Cycling-Visit Dallas Cycling p/b Noise4Good) fifth-place 484 points.

Mike Woods (CAN/Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) claimed the men's individual standings lead with 424 points after finishing second at the event, jumping four spots from fifth the previous week. Gregory Brenes (Northvale, N.J./Jamis Hagens Berman p/b Sutter) held second with 404 points thanks to a ninth-place result in Philadelphia, while John Murphy (Horse Shoe, N.C./UnitedHealthcare) dropped from first to third with 356 points after not recording any points on the week. Toms Skujins (Greenville, S.C./Hincapie Racing Team) and Daniel Jaramillo Diez (Albuquerque, N.M./Jamis Hagens Berman) climbed into the top five, reaching fourth and fifth with 352 and 314 points, respectively. Skujins finished third over the weekend, while Jaramillo Diez finished fifth.

UnitedHealthcare hung on to take the women's team win with 1694 points on the heels of Coryn Rivera's (Tustin, Calif./UnitedHealthcare) fifth-place effort at the event, while Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies collected 1574 points for second, most recently assisted by three top-10 finishes in Philadelphia. TWENTY16 p/b SHO-AIR completed a third-place 1056-point calendar, while Visit Dallas Cycling p/b Noise4Good and Team TIBCO-SVB recorded 826 and 810 points, respectively, to round out the women's team top five.

On the men's side, Hincapie Racing Team still holds onto the lead with 1056 points, thanks to Skujins' finish, but Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies is keeping things close with 1024 points after Woods' win. Jamis Hagens Berman p/b Sutter remains third with 982 points following two top-10 results over the weekend. Team Smartstop Pro Cycling and UnitedHealthcare continue to duke it out for fourth, as Team Smartstop holds the slight edge 690-658.

USA Cycling NRC Standings:

Women's individual standings
1. Leah Kirchmann (CAN/Optom Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) - 664
2. Lauren Stephens (Dallas, Texas/Team TIBCO-SVB) - 642
3. Mara Abbott (Boulder, Colo./Wiggle-Honda) - 570
4. Katie Hall (Oakland, Calif./UnitedHealthcare) - 486
5. Amber Neben (Lake Forest, Calif./FCS Cycling-Visit Dallas Cycling p/b Noise4Good) - 484

Men's individual standings
1. Mike Woods (CAN/Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) - 424
2. Gregory Brenes (Northvale, N.J./Jamis Hagens Berman p/b Sutter) - 404
3. John Murphy (Horse Shoe, N.C./UnitedHealthcare) - 356
4. Toms Skujins (Greenville, S.C./Hincapie Racing Team) - 352
5. Daniel Jaramillo Diez (Albuquerque, N.M./Jamis Hagens Berman) - 314

Women's team standings
1. UnitedHealthcare - 1694
2. Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies - 1574
3. TWENTY16 p/b SHO-AIR - 1056
4. Visit Dallas Cycling p/b Noise4Good - 826
5. Team TIBCO-SVB - 810

Men's team standings
1. Hincapie Racing Team - 1056
2. Team Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies - 1024
3. Jamis Hagens Berman p/b Sutter - 982
4. Team Smartstop Pro Cycling - 690
5. UnitedHealthcare - 658