UCI World Tour
Current season, competition or edition: 2016 UCI World Tour | |
 | |
| Sport | Road bicycle racing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2009 |
| No. of teams |
18 (Others invited on race by race basis) |
| Country | Europe, Australia and Canada (formerly also China) |
| Most recent champion(s) |
Rider: Alejandro Valverde Team: Movistar Team Country: Spain |
| Official website | uciworldtour.com |
The UCI World Tour (2009–2010: UCI World Ranking) is the premier annual male elite road cycling tour. It refers to both the tour of 28 events and an annual ranking system based upon performances in these. The World Ranking was launched in 2009, and merged fully with its predecessor the UCI ProTour in 2011.
History
Until the end of 2004, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) maintained both the UCI Road World Rankings, which awarded results for all its sanctioned races, and the UCI Road World Cup, which was awarded on the basis of performance in ten selected one-day events. Both were replaced from the 2005 season by the UCI ProTour and UCI Continental Circuits. However, disputes between the UCI and ASO, the organisers of the Tour de France and other classics, and eventually with the organisers of the Tours of Italy and Spain, meant that by 2008 the ProTour was devalued as a ranking method, as only one of the Monument events, and three other classics, remained under the auspices of the UCI. As a result, the UCI World Ranking was introduced, merging performances from both the ProTour and other prestigious events.[1]
At the start of 2011, the ProTour and World Ranking were fully merged again.[2] The ranking system was re-branded as the 'World Tour', whilst 'ProTeam' [3] was retained as a registration category for professional teams. All ProTeams gain automatic entry to World Tour events.
Despite finishing second in the team rankings in 2012, Team Katusha were initially refused a place in the top tier for 2013.[4] After appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, they were reinstated in February 2013, having already missed the 2013 Tour Down Under.[5] Although the UCI had earlier asserted that the reinstatement of Katusha would result in demotion of another team, they eventually announced that there would be 19 ProTour teams for that one season.[6] In 2015, there are only 17 teams, as there was no applicant for the 18th slot.
Ranking events
The UCI World Tour consists of 28 events.[7] These events are made up from:
- The three Grand Tours
- The five Monument one day races
- Nine further stage races in Europe
- Seven further one day races in Europe
- One stage race in Australia
- Two one day races in Canada
- One team time trial, which grants points only for the teams' ranking, with a location that varies each year.
| Race | World Ranking Points[8] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Second | Third | final position for which points are given | ||
 Tour de France |
Overall Each stage |
200 20 |
150 10 |
120 6 |
20th (4 points) 5th (2 points) |
 Giro d'Italia Vuelta a España |
Overall Each stage |
170 16 |
130 8 |
100 4 |
20th (2 points) 5th (1 point) |
| World Team Time Trial Championship[lower-alpha 1] | 200 | 170 | 140 | 10th (70 points) | |
 Tour Down Under Paris–Nice Tirreno–Adriatico Tour of the Basque Country Tour de Romandie Volta a Catalunya Critérium du Dauphiné Tour de Suisse  Tour de Pologne.svg.png){kind=small}  Eneco Tour Tour of Beijing[lower-alpha 2] |
Overall Each stage |
100 6 |
80 4 |
70 2 |
10th (4 points) 5th (1 point) |
| Milan–San Remo Tour of Flanders Paris–Roubaix Liège–Bastogne–Liège Giro di Lombardia |
100 | 80 | 70 | 10th (4 points) | |
E3 Harelbeke[lower-alpha 3] Gent–Wevelgem Amstel Gold Race La Flèche Wallonne Clásica de San Sebastián Vattenfall Cyclassics Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec[lower-alpha 4] Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal[lower-alpha 4] GP Ouest-France |
80 | 60 | 50 | 10th (2 points) | |
In 2009 and 2010, only riders for ProTour teams and Professional Continental teams could earn points. When a national squad, that is not a UCI registered team, participated in a race, its members were not eligible to receive points. In 2011, a rule change meant that only riders on ProTeam squads were eligible for points.
Results
Individual ranking (Top-5)
Team ranking
Nation ranking
| Year | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Spain |
Italy |
Australia |
| 2010 | Spain |
Italy |
Belgium |
| 2011 | Italy |
Belgium |
Australia |
| 2012 | Spain |
 Great Britain |
Italy |
| 2013 | Spain |
Italy |
 Colombia |
| 2014 | Spain |
Italy |
Belgium |
| 2015 | Spain |
Italy |
Colombia |
Winners by race
Most race wins
| Rank | Cyclist | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Philippe Gilbert | 10 |
| 2. | Simon Gerrans | 9 |
| 3. | Alberto Contador | 8 |
| 4. | Fabian Cancellara | 7 |
| Alejandro Valverde | 7 | |
| 6. | Tom Boonen | 6 |
| Chris Froome | 6 | |
| Vincenzo Nibali | 6 | |
| Joaquim Rodríguez | 6 | |
| 10. |  Edvald Boasson Hagen | 5 |
| Bradley Wiggins | 5 |
History of team participation
Dark grey indicates that the team was not operating in the year in question. Mid-grey indicates that the team was competing at a lower level in the year in question.
Notes
- ↑ The team time trial at the World Championship became part of the World Tour in 2012.
- ↑ The Tour of Beijing became part of the World Tour in its first year, 2011, but ceased after the 2014 edition. A second race in China, the Tour of Hangzhou, was scheduled for the World Tour in both 2012 and 2013, but cancelled in both years.
- ↑ The E3 Prijs Vlaanderen — Harelbeke became part of the World Tour in 2012.
- 1 2 The Grands Prix in Quebec and Montreal were not part of the initial 2009 series, and had their first editions as part of the 2010 series.
- ↑ Later in the season known as FDJ.
- ↑ Later in the season known as FDJ.fr.
- ↑ Later in the season known as Lampre–Farnese.
- ↑ Later in the season known as Liquigas–Doimo.
- ↑ Later in the season known as Belkin Pro Cycling.
- ↑ Later in the season known as Team Columbia–HTC.
- ↑ Later in the season known as Saxo Bank–Tinkoff Bank.
- ↑ Later in the season known as Garmin–Sharp.
- ↑ Later in the season known as Orica–GreenEDGE.
- ↑ Later in the season known as Argos–Shimano.
References
- ↑ "UCI listing of events and dates for the 2009 calendar". Uci.ch. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
- ↑ ProTour is dead, long live the World Tour Cyclingweekly. Accessed 14-01-11
- ↑ Presse Release - Registration of UCI ProTeams for the 2011 season UCI. Accessed 14-01-11
- ↑ "Katusha denied 2013 WorldTour licence". Cycling News. Future Publishing. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ↑ "CAS orders WorldTour licence for Katusha". Cycling News. Future Publishing. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ↑ "UCI confirms 19 WorldTour teams for 2013". Cycling News. Future Publishing. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ↑ UCI confirms 2013 WorldTour calendar VeloNation. Accessed 14-01-11
- ↑ "UCI Rankings points scale". Retrieved 2012-07-16.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to UCI World Tour races. |
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