Mancebo, Hughes top NRC standings after recent races

From USA Cycling:

The Tour of the Gila and The Dana Point Grand Prix highlighted a busy week on USA Cycling’s National Racing Calendar (NRC).

In the final general classification, Francisco Mancebo (Watkinsville, Ga. / Realcyclist.com) won by slightly more than three minutes over Dale Parker (Boulder, Colo./Trek-Livestrong). Parker crossed the finish line just two seconds ahead of Lachlan Morton(Littleton, Colo./Chipotle Development Team). Alex Howes (Boulder, Colo./Chipotle Development Team) edged Matt Cooke (Boulder, Colo./Team Exergy) by one second for fourth place.

Mancebo topped the Mogollon ascent first to capture the first stage and didn’t look back. In addition to the first stage, Mancebo won the fifth stage, placed third in the second and third stages and sixth in the fourth stage for the overall win. On top of his overall win, Mancebo earned the King of the Mountain distinction.

On the women’s general classification, Clara Hughes(Pactimo Cycling) finished nearly three minutes beforeMara Abbott (Boulder, Colo./Diadora Pasta Zara) in the general classification. Kathryn Donovan (Oxnard, Calif./Missing Link Coaching Systems), Andrea Dvorak(Crozet, Va./Colavita-Forno d’Asolo) and Janel Holcomb(San Diego, Calif./Colavita-Forno d’Asolo) rounded out the top five finishers.

Hughes won the third and fourth stages and did not finish below seventh in any of the five stages to secure the top spot in the general classification. She was dominant in the third stage — the time trial — topping her closest competition by almost two minutes.

Elsewhere in the NRC, Charles Huff(Springfield, Mo./Jelly Belly p/b Kenda) edged Rahsaan Bahati (Los Angeles, Calif./SKLZ p/b Pista Place) by one second to win the Dana Point Grand Prix in Dana Point, Calif., on Sunday.

Ben Kersten (Boulder, Colo.) andNicholas Brandt-Sorenson (Los Angeles, Calif./Sho-Air-Rock n’ Road) finished together behind Bahati. Kayle Leo Grande (Upland, Calif./Monster Media Racing SCVELO) placed fifth in the Dana Point Grand Prix results.

Additionally, the USA Crits Speed Week is underway in Georgia and South Carolina. The results will be tallied as an omnium and factored into next week’s standings.

Luca Damiani (Macedonia, Ohio/Kenda-5-Hour Energy Pro Cycling p/b Geargrinder) andTheresa Cliff-Ryan (Cedar Springs, Mich./Colavita-Forno d’Asolo) won the Terrapin Twilight Criterium in Athens, Ga.

View the full USA Crits Speed Week schedule here.

In the 2011 USA Cycling NRC Men’s Individual Standings, Francisco Mancebo (Watkinsville, Ga./Realcyclist.com) holds a significant lead over Christopher Baldwin (Boulder, Colo./Bissell Pro Cycling). Benjamin Jacques-Maynes is five points behind Baldwin and eight points ahead of fourth-place Lachlan Morton (Littleton, Colo./Chipotle Development). Dale Parker (Boulder, Colo./Trek Livestrong) rounds out the top five.

Realcyclist.com holds a commanding 230-point lead in the 2011 USA Cycling NRC Men’s Team Standings over Bissell Pro Cycling Team. Trek Livestrong is in third place, trailing Bissell by 11 points. Chipotle Development has a 103-point advantage for fourth place over Team Exergy.

In the 2011 USA Cycling NRC Women’s Individual Standings, Clara Hughes (Pactimo Cycling) holds a 27-point lead over Amber Neben (Lake Forest, Calif./HTC-Highroad Women). Mara Abbott (Boulder, Colo./Diadora Pasta Zara) is in third place with an eight-point lead over Janel Holcomb (San Diego, Calif./Colavita-Forno d’Asolo) and an 18-point lead over Andrea Dvorak (Crozet, Va./Colavita-Forno d’Asolo).

Colavita-Forno d’Asolo holds a bulky 269-point lead over Team TIBCO-To The Top on the2011 USA Cycling NRC Women’s Team Standings. HTC-Highroad trails Team TIBCO-To the Top by eight points. Diadora Pasta Zara has a 10-point cushion on Primal-MapMyRiders Women’s Racing for fourth place.

NRC standings