At the Charm City cyclocross UCI C1 and C2 races on Saturday and Sunday in Baltimore, many hopeful racers will be rolling up to the line hoping to accumulate the points needed for the biggest cyclocross series payout ever seen in the U.S.

The U.S. Cup-CX officially kicked off at KMC Crossfest in Connecticut. The six-race, four-weekend series is a winner-take-all battle for American cross dominance with a huge cash windfall at the end of the series: $10,000 each for the top elite male and female racers.

The series’ three remaining events include this weekend’s Charm City Cross in Baltimore, the Cincy CX Fest, and the Derby City Cup in Louisville, which will also serve as the Pan-American Championships.

Former cyclocross national champion Ryan Trebon partnered with long-time cycling supporter and Sho-Air CEO Scott Tedro to create the series. After years of running a U.S. Cup series for mountain biking, Tedro extended his off-road love to cyclocross. But rather than creating new races, he and Trebon simply helped four races merge together into one unified series, with the intention of drawing the best racers from around the country with a huge cash incentive.

The points structure varies between the C1 and C2 races, with UCI C1 events carrying a five-point premium over C2 events in the overall series standings.

UCI C1 Event — 1st - 75  | 2nd - 70 | 3rd - 65 | 4th - 60 | 5th - 55 | 6th - 50 | 7th - 45 | 8th - 40 | 9th - 35 | 10th - 30 | 11th -  25 | 12th - 20 | 13th - 15 | 14th - 14 | 15th - 13 | 16th - 12 |17th - 11 | 18th - 10 |19th - 9 | 20th - 8 | 21st - 7 | 22nd - 6 | 23rd - 5 | 24th - 3 | 25th - 1

UCI C2 Event — 1st - 70  | 2nd - 65 | 3rd - 60 | 4th - 55 | 5th - 50 | 6th - 45 | 7th - 40 | 8th - 35 | 9th - 30 | 10th - 25 | 11th -  20 | 12th - 15 | 13th - 14 | 14th - 13 | 15th - 12 | 16th - 11 | 17th - 10 | 18th - 9 |19th - 8 | 20th - 7 | 21st - 6 | 22nd - 5 | 23rd - 3 | 24th - 2 | 25th - 1

The points structure allows for variability. A rider can have one poor race — but otherwise be dominant — and still potentially win. Or, someone with a consistent third- or fourth-place finish weekend after weekend could sneakily move into the top spot.

October 7 and 8 in Baltimore will see a few riders take big steps toward that goal.

The Series Standings So Far

At KMC Crossfest, Tobin Ortenblad moved into the elite men’s lead with back-to-back wins. National champion Stephen Hyde sits 20 points behind Ortenblad, followed by Kerry Werner, the winner of the UCI C2 race at Rochester Cyclocross. Those names aren’t necessarily surprising, since all three racers have gotten off to stellar starts this season.

In the women’s competition, the U.S. Cup-CX’s equal prize payout, combined with a domestic field of world class female talent, has created a heated battle for the series overall title. 

Currently, there’s already a three-way tie for the series lead between Kaitie Keough, her Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld teammate Emma White, and Luna Pro’s Canadian national champion Maghalie Rochette. There’s also a three-way tie for second with Becca Fahringer, Crystal Anthony, and Christel Ferrier-Bruneau all 30 points off the lead.

What To Expect In Charm City

Saturday’s race conditions may prove reminiscent of the Trek CX Cup in Waterloo, Wisconsin, with hot weather predicted and a course that’s traditionally been more grassy than muddy.

In the women’s race, expect riders like Keough and Aspire Racing’s Ellen Noble to do well, while riders not fully acclimated to the heat may suffer. The course is extremely fast in dry weather, and almost every year a major crash takes out at least one of the top racers.

On Sunday, rain is predicted, which could completely change the playing field (both literally and figuratively). Will we see the first truly muddy, classic cyclocross course of the season?

As the rain pours down on the grass, the course at Druid Hill Park has a tendency to get mucked up quickly, and the odds that a mechanical mishap or other race misfortune occur increase dramatically.

Given her recent results, Kaitie Keough—who won the UCI C1 race at the KMC Cross Fest and took second at the most recent UCI World Cup—is arguably the favorite for any race at this point in the season. However, Ellen Noble, who finished right behind Keough at the World Cup in Waterloo, will be trying to work her way back into contention for the win and will almost certainly come out in fighting form. Noble and series leader Emma White, who both balance bike racing with school, have an added incentive to win the $10,000 payout: college loans.

In the men’s race, the top three in the series will be fighting for the lead, and fans can expect a shake-up in the standings. Racers like Curtis White, Spencer Petrov, and Jeremy Powers will also be working to make their way into the top three and into contention for the win.

Who will lead the U.S. Cup-CX on Monday? Stay tuned for post-race interviews with the weekend’s winners—and our breakdown of how the race was won—early next week.

By Molly Hurford