Daily Cycling Facts 29.07.2013

Vic Sutton

Vic Sutton, riding for
Libera-Grammont in 1960

Charly Gaul and Federico Bahamontes are rightly regarded as the greatest climbers in the history of professional cycling, but  they faced competition from an entirely unexpected source at the 1959 Tour de France - a skinny little British 23-year-old named Victor Sutton; British riders being considered in those days to be among the lower ranks of cyclists, despite Brian Robinson's Stage 7 victory a year earlier, and certainly not great climbers (indeed, to this day Britain has produced only two world-class grimpeurs, the Scotsman Robert Millar and Emma Pooley from England).

Born in Thorne, Yorkshire on the 3rd of December in 1935, Sutton has been so entirely forgotten today that Cycling Archives doesn't list a palmares for him and he has no page on Wikipedia, but his natural talent in the mountains, where he could keep turning a low gear at high revolutions per minute just like Gaul did, enabled him to climb from 109th place at the end of the first week of the Tour to 37th by the finish; on the Puy de Dôme time trial he recorded a time that remained the fastest for an hour and might have finished in the top ten in Paris had he not have shared Bahamontes' terror of descending - once over the summit, he seized up and lost large chunks of the time he'd gained on the way up.

He returned to the Tour in 1960, another year older and wiser and believed by some to now be in a position to beat the Eagle and the Angel, but his season up to the race had been too hard and he suffered a minor heart attack in Stage 18, the Tour's last day in the Alps. His doctor ordered him to give up racing immediately, but Sutton chose to continue to the end of the season. He continued cycling for pleasure for the remainder of his life, which ended on this day in 1999. Alongside Robinson, he was one of the first riders to show the world that British cyclists could compete at the highest level of the sport, and he should be far better known than he is today.


Canadian mountain biker Roland Green, born in Victoria on this day in 1974, won the National Championships in 1996, 1998, 2001 and 2003. He was World Champion in 2001 and 2002, also winning the World Cup the first year and a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in the second.

Massimo Podenzana, born in La Spezia on this day in 1961, won the Italian Road Race Championship in 1993 and 1994. In 1988 he won Stage 4a at the Giro d'Italia, in 1994 he finished in seventh place overall. He won the Giro di Toscana in 1995, then Stage 15 at the 1996 Tour de France. He is a brother-in-law of Ivan Basso.

Kilian Moser, born in Interlaken on this day in 1988, became Swiss Pursuit Champion in 2012. He is not related to the Italian cyclist Francesco Moser.

Faustino Rupérez, born in Piquera de San Esteban on this day in 1956, won the Spanish Road Race Championship in 1979, then the General Classification at the Vuelta a Espana one year later

Tommy Prim

Tommy Prim, born in Svenljunga on this day in 1955, had an extraordinarily successful junior and amateur career during which he won five National Championships and dominated the Swedish racing scene. He turned professional with Bianchi in 1980 (and would remain with them for his entire career), and won Stage 15 and the Youth category as well as fourth place overall and third in the Points competition that same year: a stunning Grand Tour debut by a new rider. The following year, he came second overall and for Points, then came second overall again in 1982. In 1983, Prim won Paris-Brussels, becoming the first Scandinavian rider to win a Classic; had his career not have coincided with that of Bernard Hinault, he might have been the second (after Gösta Pettersson, who won the Giro in 1971) to win a Grand Tour, too. After retiring in 1986, he opened a bike shop and later worked in a variety of jobs including at a mail order company, a saw mill and a fish smokery; he made his return to cycling as a manager for Team Crescent, which aimed to ind and develop Swedish promises.

Born on this day in 1990, British road and track rider Erick Rowsell became National Junior Time Trial Champion in 2007 and National Junior Road Race Champion the following year. He is the younger brother of three-time World Track Championships gold medal-winner Joanna Rowsell.

Eddy Mazzoleni

Eddy Mazzoleni, born in Bergamo on this day in 1971, finished third at the Giro di Lombardia in 1999, fifteenth at the Giro d'Italia in 2002, tenth at the Giro in 2003, thirteenth at the Tour de France in 2005 and third at the Giro in 2007, behind Danilo di Luca and Andy Schleck. Later that year he was implicated in the Oil for Drugs scandal, during which he and several other riders were investigating over their connections to Dr. Carlo Santuccione, who was accused of running a doping ring. Mazzoleni and others were caught out by a surveillance operation; he left Astana voluntarily and was later given a two-year ban.

Other cyclists born on this day: Laëtitia Le Corguillé (France, 1986); Sergei Kopylov (USSR, 1960); Kilian Moser (Switzerland, 1988); Atle Pedersen (Norway, 1964); Gabriel Niell (Argentina, 1941); Gwon Jung-Hyeon (South Korea, 1942); Janis Pratnieks (Russia, 1887); Sergey Kopylov (USSR, 1960); Chris Coletta (USA, 1972).

Die UCI spricht

That is an order. We WILL be happy; otherwise there will be repercussions.

Daily Cycling Facts 29.07.12

Vic Sutton

Vic Sutton, riding for
Libera-Grammont in 1960

Charly Gaul and Federico Bahamontes are rightly regarded as the greatest climbers in the history of professional cycling, but  they faced competition from an entirely unexpected source at the 1959 Tour de France - a skinny little British 23-year-old named Victor Sutton; British riders being considered in those days to be among the lower ranks of cyclists, despite Brian Robinson's Stage 7 victory a year earlier, and certainly not great climbers (indeed, to this day Britain has produced only two world-class grimpeurs, the Scotsman Robert Millar and Emma Pooley from England).

Born in Thorne, Yorkshire on the 3rd of December in 1935, Sutton has been so entirely forgotten today that Cycling Archives doesn't list a palmares for him and he has no page on Wikipedia, but his natural talent in the mountains, where he could keep turning a low gear at high revolutions per minute just like Gaul did, enabled him to climb from 109th place at the end of the first week of the Tour to 37th by the finish; on the Puy de Dôme time trial he recorded a time that remained the fastest for an hour and might have finished in the top ten in Paris had he not have shared Bahamontes' terror of descending - once over the summit, he seized up and lost large chunks of the time he'd gained on the way up.

He returned to the Tour in 1960, another year older and wiser and believed by some to now be in a position to beat the Eagle and the Angel, but his season up to the race had been too hard and he suffered a minor heart attack in Stage 18, the Tour's last day in the Alps. His doctor ordered him to give up racing immediately, but Sutton chose to continue to the end of the season. He continued cycling for pleasure for the remainder of his life, which ended on this day in 1999. Alongside Robinson, he was one of the first riders to show the world that British cyclists could compete at the highest level of the sport, and he should be far better known than he is today.


Canadian mountain biker Roland Green, born in Victoria on this day in 1974, won the National Championships in 1996, 1998, 2001 and 2003. He was World Champion in 2001 and 2002, also winning the World Cup the first year and a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in the second.

Massimo Podenzana, born in La Spezia on this day in 1961, won the Italian Road Race Championship in 1993 and 1994. In 1988 he won Stage 4a at the Giro d'Italia, in 1994 he finished in seventh place overall. He won the Giro di Toscana in 1995, then Stage 15 at the 1996 Tour de France. He is a brother-in-law of Ivan Basso.

Kilian Moser, born in Interlaken on this day in 1988, became Swiss Pursuit Champion in 2012. He is not related to the Italian cyclist Francesco Moser.

Faustino Rupérez, born in Piquera de San Esteban on this day in 1956, won the Spanish Road Race Championship in 1979, then the General Classification at the Vuelta a Espana one year later

Tommy Prim

Tommy Prim, born in Svenljunga on this day in 1955, had an extraordinarily successful junior and amateur career during which he won five National Championships and dominated the Swedish racing scene. He turned professional with Bianchi in 1980 (and would remain with them for his entire career), and won Stage 15 and the Youth category as well as fourth place overall and third in the Points competition that same year: a stunning Grand Tour debut by a new rider. The following year, he came second overall and for Points, then came second overall again in 1982. In 1983, Prim won Paris-Brussels, becoming the first Scandinavian rider to win a Classic; had his career not have coincided with that of Bernard Hinault, he might have been the second (after Gösta Pettersson, who won the Giro in 1971) to win a Grand Tour, too. After retiring in 1986, he opened a bike shop and later worked in a variety of jobs including at a mail order company, a saw mill and a fish smokery; he made his return to cycling as a manager for Team Crescent, which aimed to ind and develop Swedish promises.

Born on this day in 1990, British road and track rider Erick Rowsell became National Junior Time Trial Champion in 2007 and National Junior Road Race Champion the following year. He is the younger brother of three-time World Track Championships gold medal-winner Joanna Rowsell.

Eddy Mazzoleni

Eddy Mazzoleni, born in Bergamo on this day in 1971, finished third at the Giro di Lombardia in 1999, fifteenth at the Giro d'Italia in 2002, tenth at the Giro in 2003, thirteenth at the Tour de France in 2005 and third at the Giro in 2007, behind Danilo di Luca and Andy Schleck. Later that year he was implicated in the Oil for Drugs scandal, during which he and several other riders were investigating over their connections to Dr. Carlo Santuccione, who was accused of running a doping ring. Mazzoleni and others were caught out by a surveillance operation; he left Astana voluntarily and was later given a two-year ban.

Other cyclists born on this day: Laëtitia Le Corguillé (France, 1986); Sergei Kopylov (USSR, 1960); Kilian Moser (Switzerland, 1988); Atle Pedersen (Norway, 1964); Gabriel Niell (Argentina, 1941); Gwon Jung-Hyeon (South Korea, 1942); Janis Pratnieks (Russia, 1887); Sergey Kopylov (USSR, 1960); Chris Coletta (USA, 1972).

Daily News Roundup

Emma Johansson sustained two
broken collarbones on the 14th of January
(image credit: Eriohm CC BY 3.0)

Emma Johansson - the 28-year-old rider who sustained two broken collar bones during a training ride when she was involved in a collision with a car a month and a half ago - has recovered in time to compete in the upcoming Omloop van 't Hageland, her Hitec Products-Mistral Home team has confirmed. She had hoped to be able to ride in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, originally planned as the start of her season, but was aware doing so would be unlikely. The race takes place this Sunday the 4th of March at Tielt-Winge.

Marianne Vos

Meanwhile, following a short break after the cyclo cross season (which saw her yet again become World Champion) the Dutch superstar Marianne Vos will begin her season at the Acht van Dwingeloo on the 8th of March, which she won last year at the beginning of a spectacular season which confirmed her status as one of the most successful professional cyclists of all time. Now backed by a Rabobank team constructed around her and with the intention of driving her towards even more victories, her opponents will be keeping close watch to see just what they're up against this year.

The Tour of the Basque Country and the Clasica San Sebastian have been saved from financial oblivion, for this year at least. Both races had warned that they lacked the money to go ahead this year. causing alarm in the cycling-obsessed Basque Country and among Basque cycling's many fans abroad. Bilbao newspaper Deia reports that the Basque government has agreed to put €200,000 towards the events - €160,000 less than in the last three years, but sufficient for the races to be held. Recent news that average salaries paid to ProTeam cyclists have risen from €190,000 to €264,000 over the same period - and widespread back-slapping over professional cycling's supposed financial health - have led to calls that the UCI should provide more money towards races that find themselves in difficulty.

Alberto Contador, the three-time Tour de France winner who was recently (and controversially) banned for two years after the CAS found him guilty of doping, might not return to Saxobank when the backdated ban expires on the 6th of August, says Danish site sporten.dk. The team has relied on the rider to a large extent and, as a result, its ProTeam licence was earned partly due to his results and he is not happy with this according to an "anonymous source."

Holland Ladies' Tour will go ahead

The 2012 Holland Ladies' Tour will go ahead, it has been confirmed. Race chairman Marten de Lange says that a new sponsor has yet to found after a main financial backer withdrew support, but other sponsors have agreed to contribute extra; allowing organisers to run a more "economical" event.

"It would be a shame if this race was to disappear, especially now that it offers such a perfect prelude towards the world championship in Limburg one a week later," says de Lange. "We are still negotiating with a potential sponsor. If that happens, we can make the race as good as previous years - which is what the successful women of Dutch cycling deserve.''

Women's who's who at the 2012 Track World Cup

Complete women's start list with details here.

Slipstream merges with AA Drink-Leontien nl.

It's been the subject of rumour for a day or two, but the news is now confirmed - the Slipstream Women's Team is to merge with AA Drink, the team that provided a new home for several riders when Garmin-Cervélo manager Jonathan Vaughters announced the loss of a sponsor last year. The team will be run by AA-Drinks and administered by Slipstream with all riders competing on Cervélo bikes.

Garmin was contractually obliged to continue paying the salaries of nine of its ex-riders, meaning that a merger was the obvious and most practical way ahead for all parties. With many teams hitting rough patches in 2011 the merger comes as extremely welcome news in the women's cycling world.

Vaughters said: "We are pleased to partner with AA Drink / Leontien.nl. Michael Zilaard has built a strong organization and we are excited to work with him to combine our strengths. The 2012 team looks strong and we believe it will be a great year ahead."

Emma Pooley

Press release here.

Team:

Elizabeth Armitstead (UK)
Chantal Blaak (NL)
Lucinda Brand (NL)
Jessie Daams (BEL)
Sharon Laws (UK)
Lucy Martin (UK)
Shelley Olds (USA)
Madelene Olsson (SWE)
Emma Pooley (UK)
Carla Ryan (AUS)
Isabelle Söderberg (SWE)
Marijn de Vries (NL)
Marieke van Wanroij (NL)
Kirsten Wild (NL)

Fireworks to come from Lizzie Armitstead?

Breaking news: ARMITSTEAD SIGNS TO AA-DRINK Pooley, Laws, Ryan, Martin and Daams also going to the Dutch team

The shocking demise of the Garmin-Cervélo Women's Team - one of the most progressive and admired in the sport - was always going to cause ruptions.

Armitstead is angry
(image credit: otbphoto CC BY-NC 2.0) 

Comments made on Twitter seem to suggest that just as soon as she can, multiple British, European and World Champion Lizzie Armitstead is going to join the row over what could have been done, what should have been done and what other teams need to do in the future with arguments as explosive as her famously devastating sprint.

At around midday on Wednesday (07.12.11):

L_ArmiTstead Lizzie Armitstead 
Hopefully not long left biting my tongue, I am so angry!

Then, just under two hours later:

L_ArmiTstead Lizzie Armitstead 
Very tempting to let it all out but I have got to play the game...

We await more with baited breath. Whatever Armitstead has to say is going to be worth hearing.

Tour of Beijing - Stage 1 Route Guide

Stage Map: click here
Stage Profile: click here

The riders couldn't wish for a flatter course than the Stage 1 time trial in the Chinese capital - it starts and ends at 41m and, with the exception of the briefest of blips after around 4km, doesn't really rise any higher along the entire route. With several straight sections and few dangerous bends, it leads north into the Olympic Park where it follows smaller, winding roads for a short while before heading south then back into the city along more straight roads for a final 300m sprint, this is a parcours that will favour sprinters as well as time trial experts and may very well generate new speed records.

The Bird's Nest (© 老黄瓜 CC2.5)

As will also be the case with Stage 2, the route begins at the famous Beijing National Stadium (39°59'28.54"N 116°23'13.94"E): one of the world's most iconic buildings and commonly known as the Bird's Nest for the seemingly random placing of the steel beams from which the outer shell is constructed - however, as is the case with a real bird's nest, there's nothing random about it at all. The completion of the National Stadium
"Bird's Nest" is something that all the
Chinese people are proud of, according to the official race road book - possibly because the government told them to be. After riding north for 591m, riders turn 90 degrees left onto the National Stadium North Road whilst taking care not to hit the grassy verges separating the cycle paths running along both sides of the road  - whereas these will be lined with barriers, it should be noted that Chinese trucks do not need to abide by the same regulations as do those in many other nations and as such, a corner in a busy location such as this is very much subject to diesel spills - one of the hazards most feared by cyclists because the fuel is impossible to see and lethal, especially after rain. On the right, just before the turn, is the 128m Long Long Pagoda - not actually a pagoda at all, but the Olympics international broadcast centre.

Ling Long Pagoda (© Kyle Simourd CC2.0)

The next turn, a 90 degree right, comes 138m later and leads onto Tianchen East Road continuing north for 974m past the China National Convention Centre on the left, housed in the building that originally served as the location of the Olympic press centre and venue for pistol and fencing events. Random fact: the centre's central vacuum cleaning system is the largest in China with 15.8km of piping.

Passing by some of the 2.2 million trees planted around the Olympic site (because the Chinese government like to pretend they're concerned about the environment when there are foreign press about), the riders soon arrive at Kehui South Road (40° 0'19.69"N 116°23'5.35"E) ready for another 90 degree left, this time avoiding the central reservation in addition to the grassy verges (the official road book has not yet been published, so at present we don't know if both carriageways will be open). After crossing Tianchen West Road 204m from the turn, they come to a 90 degree right onto Beichen West Road 110m later. Caution is required again due to a central reservation. Just west of the corner is the Institute of Remote Sensing Applications, occupying the splendidly-named Nanlongwang Hall. The difficulty of the turn depends largely upon which carriageways are in use - if the left, it's a wide and easy section; if right, it becomes much tighter and especially hazardous when wet due to the pedestrian crossing just around the apex.

Having crossed Kehui Road 304m to the north, the riders continue straight ahead on Aolin West Road as it snakes around the western perimeter of the beautiful Olympic Forest Park, a man-made area of forest and lakes almost 2km wide. They'll be on the right carriageway here, as the next turn in impossible from the left. It bends gently left, then passes under a fly-over and past the site of the two Olympic hockey stadia that were taken down after the Games, then bends right and left again before crossing a bridge over the N 5th Ring Road, then following the narrow slip road to the right 128m after the bridge (40° 1'20.74"N 116°22'48.69"E)  down to a very tight right 300m later - a point where significant time could be lost through punctures caused by thorns from the overhanging trees.

A bridge 186m along the road is only very narrower than the road and as such should cause no problems since riders are crossing one at a time. More overhanging trees past the bridge may result in more punctures and there's another very tight right turn 400m after the bridge is left behind, this one made more difficult by a kinked entry (40° 1'27.29"N 116°23'9.87"E). There's an 80 degree right 181m ahead, followed by an equally tight left onto a narrower road 30m later where riders reach the intermediate checkpoint and we get early indication of their performances.

One venue we won't see is the Laoshan Velodrome,  one
of the finest in the world. Built for the Olympics, it's
hosted several cycling events since.  (© Doma-W CC3.0)

Shortly after the checkpoint is what must be one of the most remarkable motorway bridges anywhere in the world. Though some 50m wide - arguably making the passage below it a short tunnel rather than the passage across a bridge - the road on Tianchen Bridge is only around 5.5m wide, the space either side being landscaped and covered in trees and shrubs to form a continuation between the parkland to the north and south. At the road on the other side, riders turn 90 degrees left, ignoring the bridge south over the river and proceed for 805m past a car park and on to Aolin East Road for a right turn to head south.

Having passed under a fly-over, the road bends slightly right and then left before crossing Kehui Road and arriving at the next turn 259m later - a right onto Kehui South Road with caution again required to avoid the central reservation if both lanes are in use. As another busy urban route, diesel spills are a possibility; as may also be the case at the left turn 224m later onto Hujing East Road.

The Water Cube at night (public domain image)

Hujing East curves gently around a bend in the river, crossing five other roads before arriving at the National Stadium South Road 1.93km later and offers some of the best views of the Bird's Nest. On the left is the enormous 5-star Grand Skylight CATIC Hotel, then the riders turn 90 degrees right onto a bridge. The road narrows at the opposite bank to make room for traffic emerging from a central tunnel (39°59'18.16"N 116°23'28.36"E), then opens up again 269m after the corner. It then continues for a further 279m, crossing the wide boulevard past the stadium upon which the route began before reaching the final turn - a 90 degree right onto Tianchen East Road. From this point, there are 300m left to the finish line next to the National Aquatics Centre, better known as Water Cube; a striking building clad in 4000 plastic bubbles.

Valentin Iglinskiy

Valentin Iglinskiy

News is coming in that Valentin Iglinskiy and his brother Maxim were stopped for speeding by French police at around 9pm on Tuesday night. According to initial reports on French RTL radio, Tests showed the 27-year-old Team Astana rider Valentin to be over the legal driving limit for alcohol and positive for cocaine. Maxim, who rode in this year's Tour de France which finished on Sunday, was arrested and taken into police custody, says French website Cyclism'Actu. However, police later stated that the rider did not provide a positive test result for cocaine.

The Kazakh-born brothers, who now live in Monaco, are said to have been travelling in a Volkswagen Golf at 203kmph in a 110kmph limit on the A8 motorway.

Cyclism'Actu also claims that the Iglinskiys was returning home from a party at the home of Alexandre Vinokourov, the Astana rider who was banned from professional cycling in 2007 after failing an anti-doping test at the Tour de France. Vinokourov announced his retirement at the time, but later returned to the sport and competed alongside Maxim in the Tour this year until being forced to abandon following a crash in Stage 9. He announced his second retirement shortly afterwards.

Maxim Iglinskiy

According to Nice Matin, Valentin paid a fine of 1800 euros and is likely to be banned from driving in France.

Astana has confirmed that the rider was stopped for speeding and that while the roadside breath test showed he was over the the alcohol limit, the saliva test did not prove positive for cocaine - this has subsequently been confirmed by police. The team has categorically denied that the Iglinskiys had spent time with Vinokourov during the day and also stated that anti-doping inspectors had carried out tests on Wednesday morning. Cocaine is banned from competition, but the UCI cannot institute sanctions against a rider who uses it recreationally when not competing, though it remains a criminal offence and as such may result in police prosecution.

Astana also said that Valentin, who speaks French very poorly, signed legal documents without being able to understand what they said - in which case, the police will have some questions to answer too. We'll bring more updates when we get them.

Tour of Utah route announced

The 2010 Tour of Utah parcours has just been announced and looks to be even more brutal than would be expected of a state characterised by deserts and mountains, proving why it is that this event has become known as the toughest stage race in America. Taking in 409 miles (658km) of the diverse conditions to be found in the region, this year's Tour - the seventh to be held - places particular emphasis on climbing with almost 30,000 feet (9144m) to be tackled over six days. Add to this average summer temperatures of 29 to 39 degrees Celsius and it looks as though those taking part in the event are in for a tough time right from the prologue, which is an uphill-all-the-way time trial to be held at the Utah Olympic Park.

Stage 1 offers no let-up with 187km and 2514m of climbing. Risers will complete a circuit three times to finish the race, making it a superb stage from spectator's point of view, and face a sprint on the flat section to the finish line. Stage 2 is 161km and involves just 860m of climbs, but those metres are spread out across the stage and will catch out who found the previous night insufficient time to recover from Stage 1's tests. Stage 3 is a time trial, held on the Miller Motorsports racing track at Tooele. As a motor racing track, it features several bends to liven things up and though they're unlikely to be especially challenging when negotiated on a bicycle, they'll make an interesting alternative to the standard velodrome layout. Coming at a relatively early stage in the race, the stage should see TT specialists giving it their all and achieving respectable speeds. Stage 4 takes place on a road circuit in and around Salt Lake City of which competitors will need to complete eleven laps, making this another stage that will be popular with both spectators and television crews for the number of times they are able to see riders pass. Stage 5 is intended to be the Queen Stage. It's 161km but, being the final stage, the 3322m of climbing across four mountain sections - including gradients of up to 12% in the final climb - means that all riders will need to have paced themselves carefully over the previous stages if they're to stand any hope of finishing.

As ever with non-European races, steephill.tv offers your best chance of keeping up with the action and will be publishing results and photographs daily during the event. With Levi Leipheimer having achieved a surprise victory in the Tour de Suisse, expect to see him attempting a repeat of his Utah triumph of last year.

IG Markets Pro Cycling Index

Team Sky sponsor IG Markets, an international financial derivatives company a world leader in deciphering data gathered from complex markets and arranging it into simple ranking systems, announced the launch of the IG Pro Cycling Index a while back which, using information supplied by sports data specialists Opta, provides an at-a-glance method of assessing team performance and achievements similar to the indices already in place for sports such as football, horse racing and tennis.

The index provides an at-a-glance method of assessing rider and team performance

Involving a panel of ex-professional riders and journalists chosen for the expert knowledge of cycling, the Index will be updated daily during Grand Tours - including the upcoming Tour de France which begins this Saturday - and at the beginning of each week during the cycling season. In addition to utilising data based on points scored during races and for stage/overall wins, the system awards bonus points to those riders who win several consecutive stages or races and recognises victories in Queen stages, thus forming what should prove to be a very accurate assessment of any rider's fitness, form and potential.

The system currently ranks French rider Philipe Gilbert in 1st place with 5889 points, Alberto Contador in 2nd (5115 points) and Fabian Cancellara 3rd (3189). British hopeful Bradley Wiggins ranks 29th with 1376 points.

Just how accurate the system proves to be will have to be shown - a rider who appears to be at the top of the game may perform badly in a race for no obvious reason or traditionally perform poorly in one race, even though he does well in others. However, Opta are the owners and curators of the world's most comprehensive sports historical database and the systems they already produce for other sports are widely used and respected, so the Pro Cycling Index stands a good chance of becoming a valuable resource.