Michal Kwiatkowski's stellar season reflected in his rise up the WorldTour ranking
After his San Sebastian victory, Michal Kwiatkowski moves up to second in the latest UCI WorldTour ranking behind Greg Van Avermaet
Michal Kwiatkowski's exceptional season continued on Saturday (July 29), when he won the Clásica de San Sebastián in Spain.
The Polish Team Sky rider's latest win has propelled him to second in the UCI WorldTour ranking behind leader Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing).
Kwiatkowski adds San Sebastián to his victories in Milan-San Remo and Strade Bianche earlier this year, as well as podium spots at the Amstel Gold race (second) and Liège-Bastogne-Liège (third).
>>> Michal Kwiatkowski wins Clásica San Sebastián 2017
However, Kwiatkowski still has some way to go to close the gap on Belgian Van Avermaet, who was the rider of the early season, grabbing wins in Paris-Roubaix, Ghent-Wevelgem, E3 Harelbeke and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Van Avermaet has 2728 points to Kwiatkowski's 2171.
Sunday's Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic in Britain was the first edition of the race to be elevated to WorldTour status. Norwegian winner Alexander Kristoff (Katusha-Alpecin) moves up nine places to 16th in the latest WorldTour ranking.
Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) is now third in the WorldTour behind Van Avermaet and Kwiatkowski, with Tour de France winner Chris Froome (Team Sky) dropping from sixth to seventh.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Kwiatkowski, Van Avermaet and Kristoff rank among the favourites - along with current world champion Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) - for the men's road race World Championship title, to be decided in Bergen, Norway, on September 24. Kwiatkowski won in 2014.
>>> Alexander Kristoff wins RideLondon-Surrey Classic
Team Sky now moves up to second place behind Quick-Step Floors in the WorldTour team ranking, with BMC in third.
The next WorldTour event to have its points added to the ranking is the Tour of Poland, which started on Saturday and concludes on Friday, August 4. After that, we have the Eneco Tour (August 7-13) and the final Grand Tour of the 2017 season, the Vuelta a España (August 19 to September 10).
>>> Full men's and women's 2017 WorldTour calendars and latest news
WorldTour points are awarded for one-day race, tour stage and stage race overall finishing positions for counting events. Points are also given for time spent in the race lead, and winning major classifications (ie King of the Mountains).
The amount of points awarded depends on the ranking of the event. For example, winning the Tour de France overall gives a rider over twice as many points as winning the Eneco Tour overall. Sagan topped the final ranking at the end of the 2016 season.
Watch: Changes to the 2017 WorldTour
Men’s UCI WorldTour ranking (on July 30)
1. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing 2728 points
2. Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Sky 2171 pts
3. Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar 2105 pts
4. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Sunweb 2071 pts
5. Dan Martin (Irl) Quick-Step Floors 2040 pts
6. Richie Porte (Aus) BMC Racing 1882 pts
7. Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky 1824 pts
8. Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Quick-Step Floors 1765 pts
9. Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar 1711 pts
10. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe 1570 pts
Men’s team ranking
1. Quick-Step Floors 10,186 points
2. Team Sky 8675 pts
3. BMC Racing 8517 pts
4. Movistar 6258 pts
5. Orica-Scott 6117 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
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.
-
Tech of the week: A shockingly expensive steel bike from Colnago, a surprisingly affordable carbon bike from Pinarello, DT Swiss energises our cycling lives and Pog's bars are now yours to buy
Colnago's Steelnova is a thing of beauty but you'll pay for the pleasure, while Pinarello's F1 is an inexpensive gateway to the brand. DT Swiss enters the dynamo hub market and Enve brings Pog's cockpit to market
By Luke Friend Published
-
Tweets of the week: Tom Pidcock as a cake, Mark Cavendish speaks Gen Z, and stiletto cycling shoes
There's a likeness beneath the icing
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'With a few changes, it'll be class' - Josh Tarling optimistic about Ineos Grenadiers future
'Everybody wants to get better and get back to winning,' 20-year-old tells audience at Rouleur Live
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'We've had a difficult year, I've had a difficult year' - Tom Pidcock hints at Ineos Grenadiers tension
Speaking at Rouleur Live, the 25-year-old also revealed that he hasn't enjoyed racing at the last two Tours de France
By Adam Becket Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers to partner with German development team for 2025
Ineos set to partner with German Continental squad Lotto Kern-Haus PSD Bank as an official development partner
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Where next for Ineos Grenadiers, now Steve Cummings has officially left?
After the Director of Racing's exit, the Tom Pidcock saga needs a final resolution before the team can move forward
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Ineos' Director of Racing, Steve Cummings, confirms he is leaving the team after not attending a race since June
Announcement comes after months of uncertainty surrounding Cummings' position
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'I never thought I'd really leave the team': Luke Rowe opens up on his reasons for departing Ineos Grenadiers
Welsh road captain is heading to Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale to become a sports director
By Adam Becket Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers announce 'highly motivated, hungry and ambitious' new performance structure for 2025
New sports directors, lead performance coach and head of performance support announced, among other changes
By Adam Becket Published
-
'I can help get the team back to where it was' - 20-year-old Artem Shmidt looks to the future after Ineos Grenadiers' disappointing season
Shmidt hoping to help revitalise team backed by Jim Ratcliffe after season of woes and as star rider Tom Pidcock gets set to move on
By Tom Thewlis Published