Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) has topped the IG Markets Pro Cycling Index after his historic victory in the 2012 Tour de France.
The Londoner accumulated 1,200 points on the Index from his efforts in France, including 120 points for each stage win (the time trial stages nine and 20) and 15 points for each of his 14 days in the yellow jersey.
Wiggins’ points haul lifts him from fourth to first on the Index, passing Classics king, Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), now fourth, Giro d’Italia runner up, Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha), who drops from first to third, and Slovak sprint sensation, Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale), who climbs to second.
Sagan’s victory in the points competition made him the youngest rider ever to wear the green jersey on the podium in Paris. The 22-year-old succeeds Mark Cavendish as winner of the famous tunic, thanks to three stage wins and a host of competitive finishes in intermediate sprints.
Still among the youngest riders in the WorldTour peloton, Sagan has raced 99 days this season: some 16,399 kilometres.
Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) said he would attack in a bid to win the Tour de France and delivered on his promise. His aggressive approach netted him a place on the podium in Paris and his third place moves him from ninth to sixth on the Index.
Chris Froome was the third Team Sky Brit to enjoy a successful Tour, winning stage seven and finishing second overall. His efforts have seen him jump 19 places on the index 28th to ninth.
Deposed champion, Cadel Evans (BMC Racing), who finished the Tour seventh overall, has slipped on the Index, which is calculated on a rolling, 12-month basis. The Australian was unable to ‘defend’ Index points won from his Tour-winning effort last year, and falls from sixth to 23rd .
In contrast, Tejay Van Garderen, Evans’ young teammate, leaps from 73rd to 40th on the Index after finishing fifth overall in the Tour.
About the IG Markets Pro Cycling Index
The IG Markets Pro Cycling Index is a 12-month rolling index designed to rank the best cyclists in the world. Sports data experts, Opta, and a panel of experts help to classify the riders from the results of 120 international races, divided into four tiers and three categories, depending on their prestige and importance to cycling fans.
Unique features of the Index include classifying the races by historical importance and the quality of the field, rather than by the class allocated by the UCI world governing body; victory in Paris-Nice, for example, will gain a rider more points than winning the Tour of Beijing. Wins attract more points than placings, and multiple Classics victories and wins on the most prestigious stages of Grand Tours gain bonus points.
