Overall victory in last week’s Paris-Nice has lifted Tony Martin (HTC-Highroad) straight to the top of the International Cycling Union (UCI) World Ranking. The German’s win, plus his victory in the stage 6 time trial, has netted him 108 points; 2 more than previous rankings leader Cameron Meyer (Garmin-Cervélo), who won the Tour Down Under, the WorldTour’s only previous event this year.
Meyer hangs on to second place, although a stage win and a second place in Paris-Nice has lifted compatriot Matt Goss (HTC-Highroad) to within 3 points.
Paris-Nice podium-finishers Andreas Klöden (RadioShack) and Bradley Wiggins (TeamSky) also find themselves high up in the rankings for the first time this season, in 4th and 6th positions respectively; Wiggins’ compatriot, Sky teammate, and VeloNation blogger Ben Swift drops down two spots as a result.
Nations and teams reflect the top of the individual ranking
At such an early stage its no surprise that the teams and nations of the top individual riders so far dominate the top of those rankings. Martin and Klöden help to put Germany high up in the classification, but Meyer, Goss and Michael Matthews (Rabobank) together keep Australia well in the lead. Thanks to Swift and Wiggins, Great Britain sits in 3rd, ahead of Spain and France.
With Martin and Goss at 1st and 3rd in the individual rankings HTC-Highroad dominates the team ranking, ahead of Swift and Wiggins’ Sky team. RadioShack sits in third, largely thanks to Klöden, but with some points from Janez Brajkovic and Levi Leipheimer too.
Still early days and with Tirreno results to come
The classification should change again with the publication of next Monday’s rankings, once this week’s Tirreno-Adriatico has finished. With the race overlapping with Paris-Nice there is obviously no way that the riders who gained points there can score any in the Italian race.
Current TIrreno leader Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) has yet to score any World ranking points, and neither have any of the others at the top of the overall standings in the race; victory there though will send the winner high in the rankings though, and may even place them above Martin at the top.
World ranking @ 14 March 2011
1. Tony Martin (Ger) HTC-Highroad 108pts
2. Cameron Meyer (Aus) Garmin-Cervélo 106
3. Matt Goss (Aus) HTC-Highroad 103
4. Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack 88
5. Ben Swift (GBr) Team Sky 82
6. Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Team Sky 74
7. Michael Matthews (Aus) Rabobank 70
8. Samuel Sanchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 59
9. Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Rabobank 52
10. Francisco Ventoso (Spa) Movistar 46
National ranking
1. Australia 297pts
2. Germany 234
3. Great Britain 157
4. Spain 108
5. France 69
Team ranking
1. HTC-Highroad (USA) 211pts
2. Team Sky (GBr) 170
3. RadioShack (USA) 145
4. Rabobank (Ned) 134
5. Garmin-Cervélo (USA) 115