Peter Sagan moves into the UCI WorldTour lead
The most consistent rider of the 2018 season so far - Peter Sagan - moves into the lead in the men's WorldTour ranking, as Amy Pieters takes the top spot in the women's ranking after the Tour of Flanders
Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) has replaced Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) as the leader of the UCI WorldTour men's ranking, after placing sixth in the Tour of Flanders on Sunday.
Sagan's WorldTour points from the Tour of Flanders are added to those gained from his victory in Ghent-Wevelgem and a Tour Down Under stage win, plus sixth place in Milan-San Remo and eighth in Strade Bianche.
The 28-year-old Slovak – who topped the 2016 WorldTour overall – now has a tally of 1126 points ahead of Valverde, with 1079. Valverde had originally considered riding in the Tour of Flanders after a strong show in the mid-week cobbled semi-classic of Dwars Door Vlaanderen, but eventually elected against it.
Strade Bianche winner Tiesj Benoot (Lotto-Soudal) moves up to third in the WorldTour ranking with 986 points after his eighth place in Flanders.
Meanwhile, Tour of Flanders winner Niki Terpstra (Quick-Step Floors) propels himself up the table from from 16th to fourth as he adds to his existing victory in E3 Harelbeke.
The highest placed British rider in the ranking remains Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott), who is in ninth spot.
With three riders in the individual ranking – Terpstra, Philippe Gilbert and Elia Viviani – it's no surprise to see Belgian squad Quick-Step Floors dominating the team ranking.
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>>> Five things we learned from the 2018 Tour of Flanders
Quick-Step Floors has so far amassed 4588 points to enjoy a comanding lead over second-placed Mitchelton-Scott, with 3155 points. BMC Racing move up to third with 2766 points.
The next counting event in the men's WorldTour are the Tour of the Basque Country (April 2-7) and Paris-Roubaix on Sunday, April 8.
WorldTour points are awarded to riders placing highly in counting events, with more presitigous events such as the Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix carrying more points than, for example, the Tour of Guangxi.
Amy Pieters leads women's WorldTour
After claiming second place behind Boels-Dolmans team-mate Anna van der Breggen at the Tour of Flanders on Sunday, Amy Pieters has moved into the lead in the women's WorldTour ranking.
Pieters added her Flanders runner-up spot to her earlier victory in the Ronde van Drenthe and fifth place in Ghent-Wevelgem – a strong showing in the spring races so far.
>>> Anna van der Breggen proves her strength with women’s Tour of Flanders win
Meanwhile, van der Breggen moves up to second in the WorldTour, with former WorldTour leader Jolien D'hoore (Mitchelton-Scott) in third.
Boels-Dolman lead the team ranking ahead of Canyon-SRAM and Mitchelton-Scott.
There is a two-week break in the women's WorldTour after the Tour of Flanders, with the next scheduled event being the Amstel Gold Race in the Netherlands on April 15, followed by Flèche Wallonne in Belgium on April 18.
UCI WorldTour men’s ranking (as of April 1)
Individual riders
1. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe, 1126 pts
2. Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar, 1079 pts
3. Tiesj Benoot (Bel) Lotto-Soudal, 986 pts
4. Niki Terpstra (Ned) Quick-Step Floors, 972 pts
5. Daryl Impey (RSA) Mitchelton-Scott, 862 pts
6. Arnaud Démare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, 827 pts
7. Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Quick-Step Floors, 820 pts
8. Elia Viviani (Ita) Quick-Step Floors, 817 pts
9. Simon Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott, 760 pts
10. Marc Soler (Esp) Movistar, 745 pts
Teams
1. Quick-Step Floors, 4588 pts
2. Mitchelton-Scott, 3145 pts
3. BMC Racing, 2766pts
4. Movistar, 2728 pts
5. Bora-Hansgrohe, 2547 pts
UCI WorldTour women’s ranking (as of April 1)
Individual riders
1. Amy Pieters (Ned) Boels Dolmans, 440 pts
2. Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Boels Dolmans, 405 pts
3. Jolien D’hoore (Bel) Mitchelton-Scott, 405 pts
4. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon-SRAM, 390 pts
5. Marta Bastianelli (Ita) Ale Cipollini, 370 pts
6. Chantal Blaak (Ned) Boels Dolmans, 338 pts
7. Chloe Hosking (Aus) Ale-Cipollini, 280 pts
8. Marianne Vos (Ned) Waowdeals Pro Cycling, 238 pts
9. Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) Cervelo-Bigla, 210 pts
10. Arlenis Sierra (Cub) Astana, 190 pts
Teams
1. Boels-Dolmans, 1492 pts
2. Canyon-SRAM, 979 pts
3. Mitchelton-Scott, 841 pts
4. Ale Cipollini, 755 pts
5. Team Sunweb, 380 pts
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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 illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
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