If there's one thing that's clear after the first weekend of racing, it's that Eric Linder is, so far, our Nys. He was dominant on both courses and showed us he's the man to beat in 2007. E-Town gave him his best shot at Granogue and a whole group of riders did it at Wissahickon, but both times, Linder delivered with more than enough power to leave time for a couple victory salutes.

E-Town had a great day on Saturday, but for whatever reason couldn't follow that up on Sunday. In both cases, he took the holeshot as expected and put a hurtin' on the field. Whether or not he can sustain that for back-to-back days is something we'll be following in the final two MAC weekends. If he plans to stay on Linder's tail, he can't fade. I think we're seeing a renewed E-town, one with more focus and desire than ever before, but a letdown after the spectacle of Granogue probably caught up to him. If anyone is capable of beating Linder, Townsend made it clear that he's the closest.

My pick to win, Ellicott, didn't have his best day and the rust showed. Poor tire selection, bad legs, and discomfort with a front row start all factored in. Research will likely keep Ellicott from being a factor in the overall series, but even in limited appearances, he always has a shot to steal a victory.

By far the biggest surprise of the weekend was the incredible riding by the youngest in the field, Jeff Bahnson. He was the darling of the crowds and the annoucer both days. On Saturday, he made the most of his third row start and worked his way up through the field to take fifth. His handling skills are obviously quite advanced, but his engine also seems to be more than enough to ride in the Killer B's. What a season this young'un may have, it's entirely possible he could be the youngest winner of MAC B race in recent memory. The DCCoD has its rider for the near and distant future. Count me and the whole field as very much impressed.

Just behind Bahnson in terms of consistency over both days were South Boston's Jeremy Dunn and NYC's Matt Budd. Dunn showed the form that made him this year's top returner in terms of points scored over a full season. Consistency did it for him last year and it appears we'll be seeing much of the same if he continues to travel South. Budd, who was mistakenly overlooked in the Granogue preview, rode to a seventh place finish on both days, the only NY rider to make the top ten.

Jeremy Dunn's teammate, Pete Smith had a fantastic ride at Granogue, where he finished fourth. In not contesting the next day's race, he fell in the standings of course, but he made it known that when he comes into the MAC he's one to watch. Another rider only contesting the first day was Mike Stubna of GPOA. He finished a solid ninth place in his first 'cross race in two years. He too would have factored in on a Wissahickon course that was less technical and more suited to his roadie skills.

Team Beacon ran into a string of bad luck this weekend. Front row starter Daniel Brill missed his call-up and was relegated to the back of the field on Saturday--a catastrophic start to the MAC campaign. Still, he managed to take 16th and limit the damage. On Sunday, it was 17-year-old Patrick Bradley's turn to experience bad luck. After an official took issue with his riding on the course during an earlier race, he was relegated back a few rows from his top starting spot. In the melee of the start at Wissahickon, he got caught up in a crash and destroyed his front wheel, breaking several spokes and forcing him to run to the pit. A quick change still put him far back and 21st was the best he could manage. That's a tough pill to swallow a day after finishing on the podium at Granogue.

Speaking of disasters, it wasn't only Team Beacon who had their share. At Granogue, both Kevin Kralik and newcomer Turner Johnson fell victim to mechanical issues. Kralik went down with an issue before the first lap was even complete. It appears he spent a while trying to fix the problem, but wasn't able to get things working. Johnson had chain issues of his own after having a great start and looking to be in position for a strong top ten. Stepping under the tape and calling it a day may have given both of them an edge the next day, where they finished 2nd and 6th respectively. Redemption came quickly for both, but the loss of points has them much farther down the standings than they should be. Turner made it known that he's out to win races, not just fight for table scraps. At Wissahickon, he was active the entire race and quite aggressive with his lines. Good quality racing.

Rounding out the bottom of the top ten, either in points or in the day's racing were Mike Mihalik, Fatmarc, and HVB's Jim Mudd.