Tour of Utah and Marion Classic mark last 2009 NRC multi-race weekend

Another pair of races marked the 23rd and 24th events on the USA Cycling National Racing Calendar last week. Francisco Mancebo (ESP/Rock Racing) grabbed the overall lead at the Tour of Utah during Wednesday's mountain stage and never looked back, winning the GC crown. Darren Lill (RSA/Team Type I) and Utah native Jeff Louder (Salt Lake City, Utah/BMC) finished second and third in the five-stage event. Click here for complete results from the men's-only NRC event.

In Marion, Indiana the Marion Classic Two Bridge Criterium also took place last week. The event turned out to be a winner for the Colavita-Sutter-Home-Cooking Light squad as Luis Amaran (Linden, N.J./Colavita-Sutter Home-Cooking Light) grabbed the men's victory while his teammate Tina Pic (Buford, Ga./Colavita-Sutter Home-Cooking Light), who recently announced her pending retirement from cycling, sprinted to another criterium victory on the women's side. For complete resutls from the Marion Classic, click here.

Tom Zirbel (Boulder, Colo./Bissell) was able to hold on to his overall lead in the men's NRC standings ahead of Lucas Sebastian Haedo (ARG/Colavita-Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light) and Rory Sutherland (AUS/OUCH-Maxxis) who remain in contention with only two NRC events remaining. The Colavita-Sutter Home-Cooking Light men's squad currently leads the men's team standings. Alison Powers (Boulder, Colo./Team Type I) has clinched the individual 2009 National Racing Calendar title on the women's side, but Team TIBCO leads the women's team standings.

The latest version of the USA Cycling National Racing Calendar standings is as follows:

Men's Individual Standings
1. Tom Zirbel (Boulder, Colo./Bissell) 1127
2. Lucas Sebastian Haedo (ARG/Colavita-Sutter Home p/b Cooking Light) 1030
3. Rory Sutherland (AUS/OUCH-Maxxis) 952
4. Karl Menzies (AUS/OUCH-Maxxis) 660
5. Jeff Louder (Salt Lake City, Utah/BMC) 562

Men's Team Standings
1. Colavita-Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light Pro Cycling Team 2725
2. Bissell Pro Cycling 2526
3. Ouch presented by Maxxis 2015
4. Team Type I 1456
5. BMC Racing 1388

Women's Individual Standings
1. Alison Powers (Boulder, Colo./Team Type I) 1291
2. Kristin Armstrong (Boise, Idaho/Cervelo-Lifeforce) 905
3. Catherine Cheatley (NZL/Colavita-Sutter Home) 625
4. Evie Stevens (New York, N.Y./Webcor Builders) 611
5. Joanne Kiesanowski (NZL/Team TIBCO) 604

Women's Team Standings
1. Team TIBCO 2145
2. Team Type 1 1988
3. Colavita-Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light Pro Cycling Team 1763
4. Webcor Builders Women's Professional Cycling Team 1342
5. Valuact Capitol Cycling Team 1243

*For complete 2009 NRC Individual and Team Standings, visit the NRC page, here and select desired 2009 standings.

The penultimate event on the USA Cycling National Racing calendar will be the the 26th annual Chris Thater Memorial in Binghamton, N.Y. on Aug. 30.