Michiel van der Heijden of the of the Rabobank-Giant team won his second consecutive World Cup XC race in the Under-23 category Saturday in Windham, New York, moving into the overall series lead after six of seven races.

Van der Heijden, the current Dutch U-23 champion, caught race leader Howard Grotts of the USA on the second of five laps, then rode off the front on his Giant XtC Advanced SL. He gained a lead of 30 seconds on the third lap, and went on to take the win with a 48-second gap over German Markus Schulte-Luenzum.

With the win, van der Heijden jumped up from third to first in the series. He also won last week in Mont-Ste-Anne, Quebec. The World Cup XC finals will be held later this month in Val d’Isere, France.

In the elite men’s race, Swiss rider Fabian Giger finished 24th for the Rabobank-Giant squad. Giger is ninth overall heading into the final round.