Three weeks of tough racing in the Tour of Italy have led to changes in leadership in the UCI’s World Rankings, not only in the individual classification, but also in the teams and nations competitions.
Tour of Italy winner Denis Menchov has replaced Heinrich Haussler in the individual rankings, Cerv?lo have ousted Caisse d’Epargne as top team, and Italy has overtaken Spain to become the leader in the nations competition.
After moving into the lead in mid-April, Cerv?lo rider Haussler’s domination of the individual classification had seemed unbreakable. For race after race, different challengers emerged, but none of them could quite overtake Haussler, even though he had not earned any more points since Paris-Roubaix.
But finally the Tour of Italy has changed all that. Haussler has dropped to third in the individual classification, whilst Menchov – who had not taken a single point in any of the previous races – is now the new leader with 219 points.
Winning the Tour of Italy as well as taking two stage victories has had a lot to do with the Rabobank rider’s dramatic rise to power at the head of the UCI World Ranking.
The 31-year-old’s victory on the Alpe di Siusi summit finish in the first week was a warning to his rivals that he was in top condition. And when the Russian seized a second stage win in the crucial stage twelve time trial and the overall lead with it, it seemed as if the other contenders were nearly powerless to stop him.
In the third week, Menchov continued to keep control of the race, even on the toughest of climbs. He lost time to one rival, Carlos Sastre (Cerv?lo), on one key ascent, the Petrano, and again to Danilo Di Luca on another mountain top finish, at the Blockhaus.
But come what may, Menchov remained in the number one spot overall, forcing his rivals to settle for stage wins or podium placings. In Rome, he led by only 41 seconds after the final time trial, but the Russian had nonetheless proved to be the strongest overall.
Cerv?lo ousts Caisse d’Epargne
The teams classification has seen equally big changes. Caisse d’Epargne had moved into the lead after their highly successful Tour of Catalonia, but now they are no longer in the number one position.
Instead Cerv?lo are the new leaders, having jumped up two spots and gained 120 points thanks to their great riding in the Tour of Italy. The Swiss squad have now totalled 608 points, which puts them 37 points ahead of Caisse d’Epargne. Quick Step, who dominated the rankings throughout the April Classics, have slid to third with 558.
Italy stronger than Spain
The Italians were expected to shine on home soil, and their strong all-round performance has earned them the number one spot in the UCI World Nations Ranking.
Spain had looked strong before the Giro, but then Italy gained a massive 180 points in their biggest national event. Suddenly Italy has leapt into the lead, with 847 points, an advantage of 24 points over Spain. Australia remains in third and Belgium in fourth, but Russia, thanks to Denis Menchov’s dramatic success, has moved up a place, from sixth to fifth.
Website: Union Cycliste Internationale