I am glad to be back in the States for a couple of days, getting ready for cyclo-cross nationals, because I had a serious craving for some good quality Mexican food and was starting to get a little bored hanging out in Belgium by myself. This week will be a welcome break from racing in Europe.

What lies before you is my version of a preview — my picks — for ‘cross nationals this weekend. You might not agree with me, but hey, what do you know anyway? Seriously, with a forecast for snow on Friday and temperatures of a high around 30-34 degrees, the only thing certain for this weekend is that it is gonna be freezing cold.

Let’s start out with the AARP class, the masters 40-plus. My choice goes to the "Reverend" himself, Heavy D (Dale Knapp.) Dale is a true badass and he is gonna crush all this weekend with his massive quads. There are some other fine racers that could give him a run for his money, like Charlie Storm and Andy Applegate. But Dale races for Kona, and that simple fact alone gives him the edge.

In the junior 17-18 category, my boy Bjørn Solander is going to successfully defend his title against the onslaught of the Colorado TIAA-CREF-Clif Bar boys. Bjørn is a super talented young rider, and in three to five years he is going to be killing everyone in the elite races. Trust me.

In the young and cocky under-23 class, Jesse Anthony has to be considered the favorite. I mean he has won, what, six national titles in a row? But this time around I think we are going to see a bear attack with "Rudey Bear" (Troy Wells) finally putting it all together, keeping his body off the ground and thrashing away at the pedals to take the title.

The elite women’s race is a bit of a crapshoot. No one really knows how Katie Compton is going to stack up against the other ladies, since she hasn't raced any of them all year. But this year she is not so much of an unknown and definitely won't be given any freedom like last year. There are a bunch of ladies that all have the possibility to win: Georgia Gould, Barbara Howe, Ann Knapp and Rhonda Mazza. But this weekend we are going to see the return of the "Queen of ‘Cross," Ann Knapp. Ann has been laying pretty low this year, but I think her fitness is coming around just in time to take her crown back this weekend.

What’s left? Oh yeah, the elite men. Okay, you heard it here first: I think Page has to be the favorite. Why not? He has won the past three years and he has been racing really well in Europe the past three weeks. But wait, you say — what is Ryan doing calling Page the favorite? Nothing wrong with holding your cards close to your chest. I know I feel good, and I know in Barry Wicks I have an awesome teammate who is riding well. But other than that I am not giving anything else away. So you all better come out to Rhode Island this weekend, and see just how right all my predictions are. Oh, and feel free to cheer on the "Orange Crush" of the Kona clan.