Following the iconic Paris-Roubaix cycle race on Sunday, the International Cycling Union (UCI) has published its latest ranking of the top-performing cyclists worldwide. With a strong cycling heritage, many Belgians feature – often towards the top of the table.
This year, the UCI ranking has upgraded its allocation of points for the biggest races on the calendar. Four Belgian riders are currently in the top seven. Belgian cyclist Jasper Philipsen, who won the Scheldt GP last Wednesday and came second at Roubaix, jumped three places in the ranking in seven days. He is now just behind Belgian Arnaud De Lie, ranked sixth.
Two other Belgians, Wout van Aert (2nd) and Remco Evenepoel (3rd) are behind Tadej Pogacar – arguably this generation's most talented rider with two Tour de France titles to his name and a recent win at the Tour of Flanders.
The UCI ranking credits riders for their performances in all events on the international calendar, including the Belgian cycling fixtures. It will change throughout the year but highlights impressive results for Belgian cycling. This season's three grand tours (three-week races that define the cycling calendar) will shake up the current standing.
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The last time that four Belgians were in the top seven ranking of the then-called Super-Prestige was in 1976, when Freed Martens (1st), Eddy Merckx (4th), Lucien Van Impe (5th) and Roger De Valeminck (6th) controlled the leaderboard.
Back then, cyclists came from only a few European countries. Now, with the sport having become international and with many more riders, four Belgians in the top seven is an impressive feat.
In terms of national rankings, Belgium has more than a 50 percentage points advantage over France, who are in second. Belgium is by far the best cycling nation in the ranking over the last 52 weeks. This is boosted by wins by Evenpoel and other cyclists. Belgian cycling team Soudal Quick-Step is now the third highest-rated team, behind UAE Emirates and Jumbo-Visma.
