All-Time Best Road Cyclist 2007 - 8th Edition Part  6
Ranking Sections: IX. Best Classic Riders, X. Best Stage Race Riders. Point system notes.

By Daniel Marszalek

IX. Best Classic Riders:
This ranking is based on results achieved by riders not only in all chosen classics and semi-classics, but also in other very prestigious one-day events like: Olympic Games, World Championships, old “marathon-classics” like Bordeaux-Paris & Paris-Brest-Paris or special events like GP Wolber or GP des Nations.

In this specialty, the whole podium is taken by Belgians. Eddy Merckx is the clear leader of such ranking with Roger De Vlaeminck & Rik Van Looy in next two places. Domination by the Belgians is clearly visible since there are six riders from this country in top10. Among active riders not surprisingly Paolo Bettini is the best with a score already good enough for all-time seventh position. Interestingly he advanced to the top-10 pushing out of the list his compatriot & former leader Michele Bartoli.

Top Classics Riders
1. Eddy Merckx (Belgium) - 2348,75 points
2. Roger De Vlaeminck (Belgium) - 1531
3. Rik Van Looy (Belgium) - 1443,75
4. Sean Kelly (Irland) - 1339
5. Francesco Moser (Italy) - 1235,5
6. Johan Museeuw (Belgium) – 1215
7. Paolo Bettini (Italy) - 1043
8-9. Walter Godefroot (Belgium) - 1005,25
8-9. Herman Van Springel (Belgium) - 1005,25
10. Jan Raas (Holland) - 985,5

Active Riders:
1. Paolo Bettini (Italy) - 1043
2. Erik Zabel (Germany) - 860,5
3. Davide Rebellin (Italy) – 784
4. Oscar Freire (Spain) – 605,5
5. Danilo Di Luca (Italy) - 377

X. Best Stage Race Riders:
This ranking is based on results achieved in all chosen stage races: three Grand Tours and currently ten week-long stage race. But it’s important to note that what’s counts here is not only overall positions, but also points for stage wins and in the case of Grand Tours also: top-3 places in stages, victories in points & climbers competition, members of the team winning Team Time Trial plus every day ridden in the leader’s jersey. This explains a very high position among active riders taken by superb sprinters like Erik Zabel or Alessandro Petacchi, who of course by no means are stage race specialists.

Obviously also in his ranking Eddy Merckx confirms his royal status of undisputed cycling champion of all-times. Although this time other places on the overall podium are taken by two Frenchmen, both five times Tour de France winners: Bernard Hinault & Jacques Anquetil. Interestingly all three of these riders have won at least once each of the Grand Tours. The only other man to do such trick was Italian Felice Gimondi.

Italy is the country best represented in top-10 with three riders: Gino Bartali, Gimondi & Francesco Moser. While among active riders their compatriot Gilberto “Gibo” Simoni is keeping the green-white-red flag flying high. Even seven overall wins in Tour de France were not enough for Lance Armstrong to join the top-10 area due to a very restricted race program chosen each year by the “Boss”.

Best Stage Riders
1. Eddy Merckx (Belgium) - 3496,05 points
2. Bernard Hinault (France) - 2375,3
3. Jacques Anquetil (France) - 2249,5
4. Gino Bartali (Italy) - 2183,15
5. Miguel Indurain (Spain) - 1848,5
6. Joop Zoetemelk (Holland) - 1772,95
7. Felice Gimondi (Italy) - 1760,55
8. Sean Kelly (Ireland) - 1735,9
9. Tony Rominger (Switzerland) - 1693
10. Francesco Moser (Italy) - 1645,35
11. Lance Armstrong (USA) - 1585,7
12. Fausto Coppi (Italy) - 1577,8

Active Riders:
1. Gilberto Simoni (Italy) - 920,9
2. Erik Zabel (Germany) – 701,4
3. Alessandro Petacchi (Italy) – 670
4. Paolo Savoldelli (Italy) – 581,5
5. Carlos Sastre (Spain) – 526,5

The Points System Notes:
The point system is unique but similar to the old Super Prestige Pernod with just 100 points for the overall win in the most important race of the season - Tour de France. Although in terms of gradation of points between 1st, 2nd, 3rd and further places in the same race it may look a bit like the UCI rankings.

For example  in Tour de France there are 100 points for the winner, 75 pts for second rider, 60 points for the third, 50 points for the fourth, and then 45-40-35-30-25-20. There are also 15 points for wins in points or climbers competition, 10-5-3 points for top-3 places on each stage of the Tour, and 4 points for the stage in yellow plus 1 point for the member of the winning Team Time Trials.

Each Grand Tour and shorter stage races is ranked by importance, difficulty, and the level of competition it draws. Likewise with the one day Classics, Worlds and Olympic Championships.

Some race's value may differ through the history, because of their various international prestige in a different era. For example with the Vuelta a Espana it's 70 points till 1957, and then 80 points since 1958 because in that season this race for the first time was included to the old Desgrange-Colombo ranking, the competition that preceded Super Prestige Pernod. Then I gave 90 points to Vuelta (rightly or not) since 1995 when it changed its date to September.

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