It surely doesn't rival winning his second monument, but Philippe Gilbert did accomplish a big goal he had set for himself today by way of his 4th place finish in Ans: the World #1 spot.
Last week, following his win at the Amstel Gold Race, Gilbert made it clear that wins in the Classics were important, but so was leading the UCI's world ranking: "Number one is a real goal. There's no longer a jersey so the people don't see it but it's still important. It's something very important for a rider. I'll be second or third now but I want to be number one. First I want to be number one for a week or only a day, then the next goal will be becoming number one at the end of the season. It's not easy for a one-day specialist, though, as there are many points at stake in the stage races."
Gilbert will get his wish of holding the lead for at least a day and will take a tenuous 11 point lead over Alejandro Valverde as the two head to Switzerland to take part in the Tour de Romandie, which starts on Tuesday.
The hilly specialists have taken over from the cobbled kings. Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara are the final remaining vestiges of the battles waged on cobbles over the first two weeks of April, Boonen and Cancellara are down to 6th and 7th overall, whilst the top 5 spots were all finishers in today's Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Alexandre Vinokourov was the biggest mover of the week - he went from unclassified to 19th with his win today at La Doyenne.
1. Philippe Gilbert 292
2. Alejandro Valverde 281
3. Joaquim Rodriguez 268
4. Cadel Evans 246
5. Luis Leon Sanchez 222
6. Tom Boonen 216
7. Fabian Cancellara 200
8. Alberto Contador 161
9. Chris Horner 144
10. Thor Hushovd 120
19. Alexandre Vinokourov 100
Caisse d'Epargne headed by strong results from Valverde and Rodriguez remain on top of the team's classsification, but Katusha continues to chip away at their lead. Astana jumped into the top 3 on the heels of Vinokourov's win and Contador's 10th. Omega Pharma-Lotto can thank Philippe Gilbert's beautiful 2010 Spring Campaign for most of their 417 points.
1. Caisse d'Epargne 509
2. Katusha 478
3. Astana 433
4. Omega Pharma 417
5. Saxo Bank 334
6. BMC Racing Team 333
7. Cervelo 302
8. HTC-Columbia 289
9. Liquigas-Doimo 240
10. Euskaltel 230
Spain continues to unsurprisingly dominate the overall standings. The likes of Valverde (3rd), Anton (7th), Contador (10th), and Barredo (20th) ensured that the domination from midweek at La Fleche with two out of the three spots on the podium continued, and so does their reign over the top spot on the nation's ranking.
1. Spain 1044
2. Belgium 712
3. Australia 415
4. Italy 393
5. USA 287