With many of those who competed in the Tour de France taking a break from stage races, there was very little change to the UCI’s World Ranking when the standings were updated today.
Alberto Contador (Astana) remains in top slot, 54 points ahead of his compatriot Joaquin Rodriguez (Team Katusha) and 92 in front of world champion Cadel Evans (BMC Racing). Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse d’Epargne), newly-married Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) and Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) close out the top six.
When compared to the standings released one week ago after the Clasica San Sebastian, there are no changes to the rankings of those in the top twenty. André Greipel (HTC Columbia)’s two stage wins in the Tour of Poland both increased his season haul to sixteen victories and moved him from 25th to 21st overall.
The biggest mover was the Polish Tour race winner Daniel Martin, who was previously not in the world rankings but who has now jumped to 36th overall. He earned 106 points thanks to his stage win and overall victory in the ProTour event.
In addition to that race, the Vuelta a Burgos and Tour of Denmark also took place last week and finished over the weekend. However, unlike the Tour of Poland, there were no world ranking points on offer and so the victors Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel Euskadi) and Jakob Fuglsang (Saxo Bank) went home empty handed, in terms of their ranking points.
That gives fuel to those who argue that the current system is unfair and unreflective of the sport. The old UCI world ranking included other stage races, thus giving a clearer picture of who were the most consisted riders in the sport.
Tour de France champion Contador has said that he is unlikely to compete again this season. That hands opportunity to Rodriguez, who is likely to push for the world number one between now and the end of the season. Luis Leon Sanchez, Gilbert and Vinokourov are also contenders, but Evans will lose out on his chance to take points as his BMC Racing team will not be taking part in the Vuelta.
The next ProTour race is the Vattenfall Cyclassics in Germany next Sunday. It will then be followed by the Eneco Tour, which runs between August 17th and 24th.
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UCI World Rankings as of 9 August 2010 (Previous Placing In Brackets):
1 ( 1 ) CONTADOR VELASCO Alberto, ASTANA (AST), 482
2 ( 2 ) RODRIGUEZ OLIVER Joaquin, TEAM KATUSHA (KAT), 428
3 ( 3 ) EVANS Cadel, BMC RACING TEAM (BMC), 390
4 ( 4 ) SANCHEZ GIL Luis Leon, CAISSE D'EPARGNE (GCE), 363
5 ( 5 ) GILBERT Philippe, OMEGA PHARMA-LOTTO (OLO), 304
6 ( 6 ) VINOKOUROV Alexandre, ASTANA (AST), 283
7 ( 7 ) SCHLECK Andy, TEAM SAXO BANK (SAX), 258
8 ( 8 ) CANCELLARA Fabian, TEAM SAXO BANK (SAX), 250
9 ( 9 ) SANCHEZ GONZALEZ Samuel, EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI (EUS), 239
10 ( 10 ) GESINK Robert, RABOBANK (RAB), 239
11 ( 11 ) HESJEDAL Ryder, GARMIN - TRANSITIONS (GRM), 217
12 ( 12 ) HORNER Christopher, TEAM RADIOSHACK (RSH), 216
13 ( 13 ) BOONEN Tom, QUICK STEP (QST), 216
14 ( 14 ) MENCHOV Denis, RABOBANK (RAB), 213
15 ( 15 ) BASSO Ivan, LIQUIGAS-DOIMO (LIQ), 206
16 ( 16 ) SCARPONI Michele, ANDRONI GIOCATTOLI - SERRAMENTI PVC DIQUIG.(AND), 203
17 ( 17 ) KREUZIGER Roman, LIQUIGAS-DOIMO (LIQ), 188
18 ( 18 ) BRAJKOVIC Janez, TEAM RADIOSHACK (RSH), 174
19 ( 19 ) VAN DEN BROECK Jurgen, OMEGA PHARMA-LOTTO (OLO), 169
20 ( 20 ) PETACCHI Alessandro, LAMPRE-FARNESE VINI (LAM), 163