Though Slovak cyclist Peter Sagan stood down from the final Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) WorldTour race, the Tour of Lombardy, he has taken control of the overall UCI ranking thanks to the omission of the race by his two biggest competitors, Nairo Quintana and Christopher Froome, the Sme daily reported.
Cycling Weekly, the respected cycling magazine, specified that Sagan won the ranking 60 points over the second Quintana thanks to “a remarkable season as world champion, which saw him perform incredibly consistently and take victory in the likes of the Tour of Flanders and Ghent-Wevelgem in the Classics, as well as three stages and the points classification at the Tour de France”. The weekly added that the winner of the last two seasons, Alejandro Valverde, ended forth.
In addition, Sagan was victorious at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, finished third in the stage competition of the Eneco Tour in Benelux and took points for second place at the Belgian classic race E3 Harelbeke, Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal and also for the overall second place in the Italian stage competition Tirreno-Adriatico, Sme wrote.
In 2016, the UCI WorldTour series consisted of 27 races including three Grand Tours (Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta), five monumental classic races, nine stage races in Europe, seven one-time races in Europe, a stage race in Australia and two one-time races in Canada.
Sagan may not defend his world title Read moreWearing the jerseys of the world and European champion emphasizes the overall primacy of the cyclist. Sagan could become a world champion again and wear the rainbow jersey in 2017. However, he has still not decided on his participation in the world Championships held in Doha, Quatar on October 16.
The UCI will celebrate Peter Sagan, the winner of the team competition, Spanish cycling team Movistar, all three winners of the Grand Tours Vincenzo Nibali, Froome and Quintana and also the new world champion on October 18 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sme reported.