The Voler Apparel CX Heat Check Power Rankings uses a proprietary algorithm to evaluate performances of cyclocross racers participating in North American events and present you, the viewing public, with the top 11 elite men and women.
Now that we have a half dozen episodes under our belt, we thought it would be a good time to recap the season to date and give you the data you the data you crave. (If you’re not craving any data and just want to see the latest episode, it’s at the bottom of this post.)
In episode one we were still young, naive and unproven. The season hadn’t started and all we had to go on was past performance. Here is what the pre-season CX Heat Check Power Rankings looked like:
You can watch episode one here: https://youtu.be/ldSzcEkVXfs
For episode two, we traveled to Roanoke, Virginia, and the Virginia’s Blue Ridge GO Cross presented by Deschutes Brewery. This was our first look at the North American cyclocross landscape for 2019 and it put in place some themes we are continuing to follow to this day.
You can watch episode two here: https://youtu.be/mtQs23KB_XY
For episode three we were in Rochester, New York for Rochester Cyclocross presented by Full Moon Vista Bike & Sport. This was the episode in which the heat check started earning some notoriety and the almighty algorithm was called into question after Maghalie Rochette was denied the top stop by an non-racing Katie Compton.
You can watch episode three, here: https://youtu.be/12XMKn9DHZQ
Episode four was a banner week in Heat Check Land for two reasons: First, it was the beginning of North American UCI World Cup season and we were all in Iowa City, Iowa. And, second, we partnered up with Voler Apparel who came on as our title sponsor!! The influx of European racers blew up the power rankings on the men’s side. The North American women more than held their own, but there was still a bit of a shake up on that side of the ledger as well.
You can watch episode four, here: https://youtu.be/-VN9kLqt69g
For episode five, the traveling cyclocross circus headed from Iowa City to Waterloo, Wisconsin, for the Trek CX Cup and Waterloo World Cup. The CX Heat Check was firing on all cylinders and the North American men were still taking a beating. Here’s how it all shook out:
You can watch episode five, here: https://youtu.be/2KwnVibT2MQ
Which brings us to episode six. The Euros have all gone home and we are racing in the future home of the World Championships in Fayettville, Arkansas. FayetteCross saw two days of entirely different racing. One fast and dry and the other muddy. The outcomes of these races had huge repercussions for the CX Heat Check Power Rankings. You can see how it all played out in the latest episode, right here, for your viewing pleasure. Thanks for watching, cyclocross friends.
