Following his second place in last week’s Eneco Tour, Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) has closed to within just six points of the lead in the International Cycling Union (UCI) WorldTour standings. The Belgian champion started the race with the intention of taking as many points as possible, which he held above mere success in the race alone; with the WorldTour title the main focus of the rest of his season, Gilbert looks odds on with few of those around him still competing.
The ranking is still led by Tour de France winner Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) but, with the Australian having missed the Eneco Tour, his lead is now negligible. Evans is unlikely to take part in any more WorldTour races this year, having announced that he will end his season after riding the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado. With just six points in hand, and with Gilbert deliberately chasing points in the remaining single day races of the series, it is highly unlikely that Evans will add this year’s WorldTour title to the ProTour victory he took in 2007.
Since Gilbert was the only rider in the top ten to appear at the Eneco Tour there is no other movement at the top of the classification. The big riser, unsurprisingly, is race winner Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky), who rises from 54th to 17th thanks to the 112 points he took from the overall victory, plus one stage win and a second and a third. Third place in the race, David Millar (Garmin-Cervélo) is also on the way up, rising from an anonymous 82nd to 37th overall.
Gilbert’s team and country on the rise along with Great Britain and Team Sky
Thanks to yet another week of high point scoring from Gilbert, Belgium edges ever closer to the top three in the national rakings. With the top three in the classification – Spain, Italy and Australia – all failing to score this week, Belgium is fast closing in with its total of 998 points just 24 shy of Australia. Great Britain too, thanks to Millar’s points this week, moves up another place to sixth. Only Gilbert’s teammate André Greipel’s two stage victories in the Eneco Tour keep Germany in fifth place now just 12 points clear of Great Britain.
Spain still leads the national rankings by some distance and, with the Vuelta a España – where local riders tend to shine – starting at the weekend this position is unlikely to change. Great Britain’s further rise is particularly significant also, since the rider allocation at the World Championships depends on position in the ranking; with Mark Cavendish one of the big favourites on what should be a sprinter’s course, the bigger the team he has, the better his chances.
Thanks to Gilbert and Greipel, the Omega Pharma-Lotto team rises from fourth to third in the team rankings. Were it not for the performance of Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing) in the race, the Belgian team would have risen all the way to second place. Although Phinney took 66 points, BMC Racing’s total only actually rises by 30; this is because the team and national rankings are made up of the points total of their top five riders. Phinney is now the third best BMC Racing rider in the classification, behind Evans and Alessandro Ballan, so his 70 points are now counted in the team rankings, and George Hincapie’s 40 points are no longer included.
Boasson Hagen's victory also sees Team Sky rise from tenth to seventh, while Leopard Trek, the classification leader, failed to score at the Eneco Tour; the Luxembourg team will likely find its position under pressure from Omega Pharma-Lotto in the coming weeks.
UCI WorldTour ranking August 15th, 2011
1. (1) Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 574
2. (2) Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 568
3. (3) Alberto Contador (Spa) Saxo Bank-SunGard 471
4. (4) Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre-ISD 348
5. (5) Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha 328
6. (6) Samuel Sanchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 307
7. (7) Fränk Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek 284
8. (8) Andy Schleck (Lux) Leopard Trek 252
9. (9) Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Leopard Trek 250
10. (10) Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana 230
…
17. (54) Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Team Sky 180
…
37. (82) David Millar (GBr) Garmin-Cervélo 101
…
54. (151) Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing Team 70
National ranking
1. (1) Spain 1306pts
2. (2) Italy 1041
3. (3) Australia 1022
4. (4) Belgium 998
5. (5) Germany 588
6. (7) Great Britain 576
Team ranking
1. (1) Leopard Trek (Lux) 949pts
2. (2) BMC Racing Team (USA) 874
3. (4) Omega Pharma-Lotto (Bel) 845
4. (3) HTC-Highroad (USA) 764
5. (5) Lampre-ISD (Ita) 644
…
7. (10) Sky Procycling (GBr) 622