Giro riders climb UCI Worldtour ranking

Alberto Contador, Giro d'Italia 2011, stage 20

Giro d'Italia winner Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) has moved up to second place behind leader Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) in the Union Cycliste Internationale's latest Worldtour ranking, published on Monday (May 30).

Gilbert maintains his position at the top of the ranking with 356 points, seven points ahead of Contador, after winning Amstel Gold, Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege in the spring.

Giro runner-up Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) moves into third spot behind Contador in the ranking, with 2010 World Ranking winner Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) and Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) moving up to sixth and seventh respectively in the table.

British sprinter Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) makes his debut in the 2011 ranking after winning two stages and placing second on one stage during the Giro - his 40 points put him in 58th place. 

David Millar (Garmin-Cervelo) also netted himself extra points after coming second on one stage and winning the final time trial stage of the Giro. The Scot is now in 66th spot.

Ben Swift (Sky) is still Britain's highest-placed rider in the ranking in 28th spot after winning two stages and placing third overall in the Tour Down Under in January. Bradley Wiggins (Sky) and Geraint Thomas (Sky) are the other two riders to contribute points for Great Britain.

After a strong showing at the Giro, Spain is now top nation in the ranking-by-country with Italy in second spot. Great Britain stays in 10th spot. HTC-Highroad keeps its place at the top of the ranking-by-team, with Saxo Bank-Sungard rocketing up to second from 10th place.

The UCI's world 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 Worldtour.

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 counting event in the UCI Worldtour will be the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré from June 5-12 2011.

UCI Worldtour individual ranking: May 30

1. Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto 356 points

2. Alberto Contador (Spa) Saxo Bank-Sungard 349 points

3. Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre-ISD 348 points

4. Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Leopard-Trek 236 points

5. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing 232 points

6. Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha 222 points

7. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 210 points

8. Matt Goss (Aus) HTC-Highroad 203 points

9. Andreas Kloden (Ger) Radioshack 202 points

10. Tony Martin (Ger) HTC-Highroad 197 points

Other

28. Ben Swift (GB) Sky 89 points

31. Bradley Wiggins (GB) Sky 75 points

58. Mark Cavendish (GB) HTC-Highroad 40 points

66. David Millar (GB) Garmin-Cervelo 29 points

110. Geraint Thomas (GB) Sky 5 points

Ranking by nation

1. Spain 932 points

2. Italy 860 points

3. Belgium 750 points

4. Australia 662 points

5. Germany 484 points

Other

10. Great Britain 238 points

Ranking by team

1. HTC-Highroad 604 points

2. Saxo Bank-Sungard 507 points

3. Leopard-rek 503 points

4. Radioshack 497 points

5. Omega Pharma-Lotto 475 points

Other

11. Sky 333 points

Related links

May 2, 2011: Gilbert keeps top spot in UCI Worldtour ranking

2011 Worldtour calendar

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Nigel Wynn
Former Associate Editor

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 illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.