UCI reveals final overall rankings for the 2021 season
No surprises in who has come out on top in both the men's and women's tables
The UCI has announced who has come out on top in their yearly rankings, revealing the top riders in both men's and women's cycling.
The top riders will not come as a surprise with the main stars dominating the top listings after yet another season of control over the biggest races.
Along with the overall rankings the best nations were announced for both men and women, and the one-day and stage race standings were announed only for the men.
>>> Nine of the most exciting pro cycling transfers for 2022
Only one rider managed to top more than one table and there are no prizes for guessing who. Tadej Pogačar has had an even better season than in 2020 for UAE Team Emirates winning five WorldTour races including two Monuments and his second Tour de France.
The 23-year-old from Slovenia also won races like the UAE Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico and his home race in Slovenia, not to mention multiple top 10s with a podium at the Tour of the Basque Country. All that means he topped the individual world ranking (5363 points) and stage race rankings (3423 points).
Jumbo-Visma had at least one rider behind him in both rankings, with Wout van Aert (4382 points) and Primož Roglič, on 3924 points, rounding out the podium in the world ranking standings.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
It was Roglič who, with 2499 points, took second in the stage race table with Giro d'Italia winner Egan Bernal taking third for Ineos Grenadiers with 2187 points.
Van Aert won the one-day race rankings with 3016 points after an exceptionally consistent season that saw him take wins at Gent-Wevelgem and Amstel Gold Race as well as multiple top fives and 10s along the way in one-day races.
World champion Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) made his only top three appearance in this table with 2523 points with third place going to - you've guessed it - Pogačar with 1915 points thanks to his superb wins at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Il Lombardia.
In women's racing the UCI rankings were dominated by the supreme talent of Annemiek van Vleuten who took the top spot for Movistar in the only ranking for riders on the women's side. The Dutchwoman topped the table with 5053.33 points. She also won the UCI Women's WorldTour this season, a separate competition based on top-level races only. Van Vleuten won that over 600 points ahead of second place Demi Vollering (SD Worx).
It was Italian champion Elisa Longo-Borghini of Trek-Segafredo who took the second step on the podium of the World Rankings with a total of 3485 points, giving her a slender advantage over the legendary Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) who finished with 3378 points in third.
Unsurprisingly in the men's individual table it was Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin-Fenix who was the highest placed second division rider, finishing in seventh place on 2461 points. Vos finishing third made her the highest placed second division rider in the women's peloton.
The best nations also saw differences in the male and female standings with Belgium the top dog in the men's scene and the Netherlands dominating in the women's.
Slovenia, perhaps unsurprisingly thanks to Pogačar, Roglič, and Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious), came second for the men, pipping France with Italy and Great Britain finishing ahead of the Netherlands.
It was Italy in second followed by Denmark for the women's podium after Italy took the World road title with Elisa Balsamo (soon Trek-Segafredo) as well as brilliant performances from Longo-Borghini and others. Denmark also shone bright with Emma Norsgaard (Movistar), Cecile Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope), and others performing well.
Great Britain finished seventh with the lion's share of the points coming from Lizzie Deignan's (Trek-Segafredo) win at the first-ever women's Paris-Roubaix.
In the other men's continental tours, Biniam Ghirmay (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert) won the UCI Africa Tour, Bernal took the America Tour, Alexey Lutsenko (Astana-Premier Tech) with the Asia Tour, Pogačar rules in Europe, and Richie Porte (Ineos Grenadiers) won the Oceania Tour.
UCI Men's Individual World Ranking 2021
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates, 5363 pts
2. Wout van Aert (Bel) Team Jumbo-Visma, 4382 pts
3. Primož Roglič (Slo) Team Jumbo-Visma, 3924 pts
4. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, 3104.67 pts
5. Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers, 2576 pts
UCI Women's Individual World Ranking 2021
1. Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar Team, 5053.33 pts
2. Elisa Longo-Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo, 3485 pts
3. Marianne Vos (Ned) Team Jumbo-Visma, 3378 pts
4. Demi Vollering (Ned) Team SD Worx, 3343.33 pts
5. Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Team SD Worx, 2732 pts
UCI Men's Stage Race Ranking 2021
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates, 3423 pts
2. Primož Roglič (Slo) Team Jumbo-Visma, 2499 pts
3. Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers, 2187 pts
4. João Almeida (Por) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, 1771 pts
5. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Team Jumbo-Visma, 1545 pts
UCI Men's One-Day Race Ranking 2021
1. Wout van Aert (Bel) Team Jumbo-Visma, 3016 pts
2. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, 2523 pts
3. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates, 1915 pts
4. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Fenix, 1836 pts
5. Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain Victorious, 1705 pts
UCI Men's Nation Ranking 2021
1. Belgium, 14349.33 pts
2. Slovenia, 11993 pts
3. France, 11541.67 pts
4. Italy, 10851 pts
5. Great Britain, 9960.6 pts
UCI Women's Nation Ranking 2021
1. Netherlands, 16147.99 pts
2. Italy, 8411 pts
3. Denmark, 4338.99 pts
4. Germany, 4212 pts
5. Switzerland, 4072 pts
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Hi, I'm one of Cycling Weekly's content writers for the web team responsible for writing stories on racing, tech, updating evergreen pages as well as the weekly email newsletter. Proud Yorkshireman from the UK's answer to Flanders, Calderdale, go check out the cobbled climbs!
I started watching cycling back in 2010, before all the hype around London 2012 and Bradley Wiggins at the Tour de France. In fact, it was Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck's battle in the fog up the Tourmalet on stage 17 of the Tour de France.
It took me a few more years to get into the journalism side of things, but I had a good idea I wanted to get into cycling journalism by the end of year nine at school and started doing voluntary work soon after. This got me a chance to go to the London Six Days, Tour de Yorkshire and the Tour of Britain to name a few before eventually joining Eurosport's online team while I was at uni, where I studied journalism. Eurosport gave me the opportunity to work at the world championships in Harrogate back in the awful weather.
After various bar jobs, I managed to get my way into Cycling Weekly in late February of 2020 where I mostly write about racing and everything around that as it's what I specialise in but don't be surprised to see my name on other news stories.
When not writing stories for the site, I don't really switch off my cycling side as I watch every race that is televised as well as being a rider myself and a regular user of the game Pro Cycling Manager. Maybe too regular.
My bike is a well used Specialized Tarmac SL4 when out on my local roads back in West Yorkshire as well as in northern Hampshire with the hills and mountains being my preferred terrain.
-
Forget distance covered, these are the key stats to note in your Strava Year in Sport
We asked a coach how to best analyse our end of year Strava data
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'She should show a bit more respect' - Lotte Kopecky responds to Demi Vollering comments
The pair seemingly had one last fractious year together at SD Worx-Protime in 2024
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Former Tour de France yellow jersey maker placed into receivership
Le Coq Sportif also produced kit for the French Olympic Federation during Paris 2024
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
UCI confirm investigation launched into 'unapproved' frameset used by Saint Piran
British team glued fake UCI compliance labels to open mould frames purchased from far east
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Tweets of the week: Tadej Pogačar's special nutrition isn't as pro as you think
The Giro d'Italia winner has his own Italian dish
By Tom Davidson Published
-
First images of Tadej Pogačar's rainbow jersey revealed - and he might be set for white shorts
New kit from Pissei released ahead of Slovenian's first race as world champion at Saturday's Giro dell'Emilia
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Have information about motor doping in cycling? The UCI will now pay you
The UCI hopes that informants and whistleblowers will increase their knowledge of "new and innovative – and hard to detect – technology in bikes."
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Is this the £17,000 bike that will carry Tadej Pogačar to the rainbow jersey?
Colnago launch special edition V4RS Tadej ahead of the elite men’s road race at the World Championships
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'I quit at just the right time' - Annemiek van Vleuten on being on the sidelines at Tour de France Femmes
"I barely even ride anymore—maybe once or twice a week, and I'm fine with that," says the cycling legend.
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
Coppi, Pantani, Van Vleuten, Pogačar: A look at the Giro-Tour double winners club
Tadej Pogačar has now officially joined the club, becoming the eighth man to achieve one of professional cycling’s most sought after accolades
By Tom Thewlis Published