Richie Porte tops first WorldTour ranking of 2017
Tour Down Under victory hands Australian Richie Porte the lead in the new-look UCI WorldTour ranking - BMC Racing top the team table
Australian Richie Porte (BMC Racing) heads the first UCI WorldTour ranking of the 2017 season after his victory in the Tour Down Under on Sunday. The WorldTour ranking uses a newly-introduced points structure for 2017.
Porte claimed the overall victory in the opening race of the 2017 WorldTour in Australia after winning the six-day event's two key climbing stages with solo attacks.
Naturally, with only one event completed, the WorldTour top 10 largely follows that of the TDU. Colombian Esteban Chaves (Orica-Scott) placed second overall in the TDU and is second in the WorldTour ranking, with Jay McCarthy (Bora-Hansgrohe) third in the TDU and WorldTour ranking.
Having sprinted to win four stages of the TDU, Caleb Ewan (Orica-Scott) is fifth in the WorldTour ranking. Top-ranked British rider is Ben Swift (UAE Abu Dhabi) in 37th place, having placed fourth on stage four of the TDU.
Porte's BMC Racing team tops the team ranking ahead of Orica-Scott and Bora-Hansgrohe. Team Sky had a relatively quiet TDU, with Sergio Henao finishing 11th overall, and they are in 10th spot in the team ranking.
The next event in the 2017 WorldTour calendar is the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in Australia on Sunday, January 29. This one-day event is a new introduction to the WorldTour for 2017, joining nine other new events to bring the total to 37 races.
Change in WorldTour points allocation for 2017
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The UCI has changed the points allocation system for the 2017 season, so that the points awarded for each race match those for the concurrently running World Ranking.
Rather than just getting points for high placings in stages, one-day races and overall classifications, points are also awarded for those winning the King of the Mountains and points classifications for the first time.
The relative number of points awarded to stage winners in multi-day events has also been increased, so that more recognition is given to stage victors.
As before, more points are awarded for the more prestigious races. So, for example, an overall win in the Tour de France would net a rider 1000 points, but an overall win in the Abu Dhabi Tour would only net a rider 300 points. Winning a stage of the Tour now hands riders 120 points, which is the same as topping the final KOM or points classifications.
Wearing the race leader's jersey during stages races is also recognised for the first time in 2017, with points ranging from 25 per day in the Tour yellow jersey, down to six points for occupying the race lead in lesser stage races.
The separate WorldTour nation ranking has been scrapped.
The full breakdown of points can be found in the UCI Road Race Regulations, article 2.10.008 (PDF).
Peter Sagan topped in the final 2016 WorldTour ranking for the Tinkoff team. The world champion has switched to Bora-Hansgrohe for 2017.
Men’s UCI WorldTour Ranking 2017
1. Richie Porte (Aus) BMC Racing with 660 points
2. Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-Scott 420 pts
3. Jay McCarthy (Aus) Bora-Hansgrohe 325 pts
4. Nathan Haas (Aus) Dimension Data 300 pts
5. Caleb Ewan (Aus) Orica-Scott 250 pts
6. Diego Ulissi (Ita) UAE Abu Dhabi 225 pts
7. Rohan Dennis (Aus) BMC Racing 175 pts
8. Rafael Valls (Esp) Lotto-Soudal 150 pts
9. Robert Gesink (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo 125 pts
10. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Team Sunweb 100 pts
Team ranking
1. BMC Racing with 845 points
2. Orica-Scott 690 pts
3. Bora-Hansgrohe 410 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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