Sanchez still tops UCI's World Ranking
Caisse d'Epargne pro Luis Leon Sanchez still tops the Union Cycliste Internationale's latest World Ranking - a table based on performances in the top professional road races.
The Spaniard currently sits atop the table, published on Monday, due to points amassed by placing third overall at Paris-Nice, second at the Tour Down Under and fourth at the Tour of Catalonia.
The latest ranking takes into account the previous week's counting events - Tour of Catalonia and Ghent-Wevelgem.
Tour of Catalonia winner Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) moves up to second overall, shifting German sprinter Andre Greipel (HTC-Columbia) down to third.
Mark Cavendish makes his appearance at number 58 in the ranking thanks to his stage win in Catalonia. Cavendish is the only Briton to feature in the ranking thus far. Last year, Cavendish finished the season in fourth.
Ghent-Wevelgem winner Bernhard Eisel (HTC-Columbia) moves up to 15th.
The ranking is compiled using a points system, with points awarded for one-day race, tour stage and stage race overall finishing positions for events in the UCI's World Calendar.
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The amount of points awarded depends on the ranking of the event. For example, winning the Tour de France overall gives a rider twice as many points as winning the Eneco Tour overall.
The next World Ranking will be published by the UCI on Monday (April 5), taking into account points awarded for the Tour of Flanders (April 4).
UCI World Ranking: March 29
1. Luis Leon Sanchez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 222 points
2. Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha 142
3. Andre Greipel (Ger) HTC-Columbia 119
4. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 116
5. Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone 109
6. Alberto Contador (Spa) Astana 107
7. Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank 100
8. Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis 100
9. Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 99
10. Maxim Iglinsky (Kaz) Astana 96
British
58. Mark Cavendish (GB) HTC-Columbia 6
Related links
Eisel let off the leash to win Ghent-Wevelgem
2010 UCI World Calendar: ProTour and Historic races
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Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related il