What do Sterling Dorsher (FFL), Kyle Abston (CCFC), Salim Wajeeh (Equipe 44) and Truman Vancil (Equipo Easy On) all have in common? True, all great riders and all have an ‘l’ in their name. However, more importantly all these riders have led the OCM rider rankings this season, in what is proving to be a particularly tight battle for Season 14’s top spot.
  
  Early season
  
  A stellar season’s start for Sterling Dorsher saw him lead the rankings for the first part of the season. Wins in Portugal and Poland, along with two top 9s in the early season Classics, meant the top spot was in sole possession of the Englishman. However, England teammate Kyle Abston kept close to Dorsher in the rankings with a similarly impressive season start. The Green Goblin retained his Tweedaagse van Antwerpen title in Belgium along with some consistent placings elsewhere which eventually saw him take 1st place from Dorsher for a while.
  
  Mid-season mix up
  
  The middle

of the season saw an end to the England dominance at the top as a group of riders hustled for the prize. First it was Salim Wajeeh who overtook Abston. The Beast from the Middle East is another rider to impress this season. First the SARS took an impressive 4th in the early season Volta, Division 2’s premier Tour, and then he took victory in the Cymru Taith.
  
  However, the Syrian only had a few days at the top as Saint Lucia’s Truman Vancil took over. This is the 26 year old’s first time as OCM’s highest ranked rider but you feel it won’t be his last. Vancil has dominated the hilly sprint all-round races this year, particularly in England where he has amassed four results. It was his 3rd place in last week’s Essex Tour that propelled him to the top, but for how long?
  
  Season’s End
  
  Even though four riders have already held the top spot, it seems likely that we will see yet another one at the top at some point this season as there are two other riders within one victory

of Vancil. Firstly, Essex Tour winner Patya Gordyeva (Yuri Super Team) currently sits in 2nd place only 40 points away from 1st place. Gordy is in only his 3rd season in OCM but has already racked up an impressive resume. However, this season he has proved that he compete with the very best in OCM, which was encapsulated in his recent Tour victory.
  
  In 3rd place, another rider within touching distance of Number 1 is Nicodemus Balanchine (Gradient Levellers). The Armenian is another rider to impress this season having already claimed ten results, most notably in Perm where he collected the Blue Jersey for Best Sprinter.
  
  OCM eyes following the tussle at the top will now turn to Belgium and the USA. Day 58 will see Vancil take on Wajeeh (and arch rival Urbano Menem) in the hilly Mons- Turnhout and the following day will see Gordyeva and Balanchine face off in a flat sprint ending in Miami. Will we see another change at the top or can Vancil keep the prize until the season’s end? Stay tuned to find out.