How big a task is it for the UCI to remove suspended rider from the last two year’s rankings?
With the Court for Arbitration in Sport (CAS) having imposed a two-year suspension on Alberto Contador, with a forfeiture of all results accrued since his positive test for clenbuterol, the International Cycling Union (UCI) now has the unenviable task of removing him from the last 18 months. Aside from the simple awarding of the two Grand Tours that he won to his runners-up – the 2010 Tour de France to Andy Schleck, and the 2011 Giro d’Italia to Michele Scarponi – Contador will be disqualified from any number of other races, and those who finished below him will all rise by one place.
“The disqualification of Alberto Contador from the 2010 Tour de France as a result of the CAS ruling as well as his suspension backdated to 25 January 2011 entails the amendment of the classifications of all events in which the rider participated during this period as well as other associated rankings. Details of these amendments will be published within the next few days,” says a statement from the UCI.
Contador finished second in the WorldTour in 2010, and third in 2011. He stands to lose 210 of his 482 points from 2010, which he won through his second place in the Tour stage to the Col du Tourmalet and victory in the race overall; he will, of course lose all 471 from 2011.
Just as the UCI found in 2010, when Alejandro Valverde had to be removed from a number of results, the UCI will now have the task of making Alberto Contador an “unperson” [Okay, we’re not going to get into that whole 1984 thing again – ed]. Valverde’s reversed results only went back five months though, while Contador’s go back eighteen; “can of worms” doesn’t begin to describe it.
So how do you unpick eighteen months of racing?
If all of these points are taken away from Contador, then it goes without saying that they must be awarded to somebody else. For example, Andy Schleck was originally awarded 150 points for his second place in the 2010 Tour; this will now be increased to 200, and those extra 50 points lift him up from 13th to ninth place in the rankings. He might have reached seventh, but the riders that he would have overtaken – Ryder Hesjedal and Samuel Sánchez – also picked up an extra 12 points each.
More importantly though, and the thing that has potential ramifications for the current season, is that 471 points from the 2011 season need to be distributed around those that were beaten by Contador; these points could have been potentially vital for some teams when decisions were being made over who was to be allowed into this year’s WorldTour.
The UCI has already announced that Contador’s Saxo Bank team could be in line to lose its WorldTour license, since Contador held almost 68% of its points.
“Furthermore, the UCI will ask its Licence Commission to issue a ruling on whether the Saxo Bank-Sungard team should retain its place in the UCI WorldTour,” the UCI statement continues. “If the points obtained by Alberto Contador, representing approximately 68% of the Saxo Bank-Sungard team's total points, are disregarded, his team would no longer be considered to fulfil the sporting criterion required for the UCI WorldTour.”
A number of other teams will now retrospectively find themselves with more points than they thought; for example, through John Gadret, Jean-Christophe Péraud, Hubert Dupont and Blel Kadri, AG2R La Mondiale – which finished second last in the 2011 team standings – will now have an extra 42 points.
The big individual winners, after adjustments to the 2011 rankings, are Scaponi, and Vincenzo Nibali, who finished third in the Giro. Scarponi’s extra 70 points (40 for his Giro promotion, 20 for elevation to first overall in the Volta a Catalunya, and another 10 from various stages) isn’t quite enough to lift him over Joaquim Rodriguez – who also gains 11 points – but it lifts him very close.
Nibali gains an extra 48 points, for his Giro second place and various stages, which lifts him from eleventh to sixth.
What ramifications the reallocation of points might be, other than the possible demotion of Team Saxo Bank, and some shuffling of 2010 and 2011 prize money isn’t clear. What is certain though, is that those responsible for the maintenance of rankings and statistics at the UCI headquarters in Aigle, Switzerland, will press for a much speedier resolution to the next high-profile doping case!
Below: revised WorldTour top tens from 2010 and 2011, with a complete list of where Contador’s points should be distributed.
Revised 2010 WorldTour Ranking (previous value in parentheses if different)
1. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha Team 565 (551)
2. (3) Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 437
3. (4) Luis León Sanchez (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne 413 (403)
4. (5) Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 390
5. (6) Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo 390
6. (7) Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank 379 (369)
7. (8) Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin-Transitions 319 (307)
8. (9) Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskatel-Euskadi 313 (301)
9. (13) Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank 308 (258)
10. (11) Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana 287 (283)
Revised 2011 WorldTour Ranking (previous value in parentheses if different)
1. Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 720pts (718)
2. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 586 (574)
3. (4) Joaquim Rordiguez (Spa) Katusha Team 447 (436)
4. (5) Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre-ISD 427 (357)
5. (6) Tony Martin (Ger) HTC-Highroad 349
6. (11) Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 320 (272)
7. (7) Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 317 (307)
8. (9) Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin-Cervélo 297 (286)
9. (8) Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Team Sky 289
10. (10) Fränk Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek 284
Extra points allocated to riders 2010 (with 2010 team)
Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank) 50pts
Denis Menchov (Rabobank) 32
Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) 12
Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Transitions) 12
Ruben Plaza (Caisse d’Epargne) 10
Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas-Doimo) 10
Robert Gesink (Rabobank) 10
Luis León Sanchez (Caisse d’Epargne) 10
Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Omega Pharma-Lotto) 10
Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha Team) 14
Chris Horner (RadioShack) 10
Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack) 6
Nicolas Roche (AG2R La Mondiale) 4
Daniel Moreno (Omega Pharma-Lotto) 4
Andreas Klöden (RadioShack) 4
Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) 4
Thomas Löfkvist (Team Sky) 2
Kevin De Weert (Quick Step) 2
John Gadret (AG2R La Mondiale) 2
Carlos Sastre (Cervélo TestTeam) 2
Extra points allocated to riders 2011 (with 2011 team)
Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) 70
Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) 48
Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) 20
John Gadret (AG2R La Mondiale) 18
Roman Kreuziger (Astana) 14
Rigoberto Uran (Team Sky) 12
Jean-Christophe Péraud (AG2R La Mondiale) 12
Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) 12
Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha Team) 11
Daniel Martin (Garmin-Cervélo) 11
Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) 10
Chris Horner (RadioShack) 10
Xavier Tondo (Movistar) 10
Tom Danielson (Garmin-Cervélo) 10
Kevin Seeldraeyers (Quick Step) 10
Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD) 10
Steven Kruijswijk (Rabobank) 9
Hubert Dupont (AG2R La Mondiale) 8
Kevin De Weert (Quick Step) 6
Mikel Nieve (Euskaltel-Euskadi) 6
Kanstantsin Siutsou (HTC-Highroad) 6
Bauke Mollema (Rabobank) 6
David Arroyo (Movistar) 5
Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) 4
Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil-DCM) 4
Rob Ruijgh (Vacansoleil-DCM) 4
Richie Porte (Saxo Bank-SunGard) 4
Peter Velits (HTC-Highroad) 4
Johann Tschopp (BMC Racing Team) 4
Haimar Zubeldia (RadioShack) 4
Dario Cataldo (Quick Step) 4
Christophe Le Mével (Garmin-Cervélo) 4
Blel Kadri (AG2R La Mondiale) 4
Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-ISD) 4
Igor Antón (Euskaltel-Euskadi) 3
Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Cervélo) 2
Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack) 2
Thomas Löfkvist (Team Sky) 2
Tiago Machado (RadioShack) 2
Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervélo) 2
Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) 2
Paolo Tiralongo (Astana) 2
Matteo Carrara (Vacansoleil-DCM) 2
Jelle Vanendert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) 2
Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Cervélo) 2
Alexander Kristoff (BMC Racing Team) 2
Yaroslav Popovych (RadioShack) 1
Jos van Emden (Rabobank) 1
Davide Appollonio (Team Sky) 1
Riders on 2011 Professional Continental Teams (with 2011 team)
Jose Rujano (Androni Giocattoli) 21
Rein Taaramäe (Cofidis) 10
Pierre Rolland (Europcar) 10
Denis Menchov (Geox-TMC) 9
Stefano Garzelli (Acqua & Sapone) 5
Jérôme Coppel (Saur-Sojasun) 4
Arnold Jeannesson (FDJ) 4
Roberto Ferrari (Androni Giocattoli) 1
Alex Norberto Cano (Colombia es Pasion-Cafe de Colombia) 1