Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) gets in one last race before his CAS verdict is announced.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
The disqualification of Alberto Contador's 2011 and 2012 results after the Court of Arbitration for Sport decision this month has shuffled the top of IG's Pro Cycling Index. Philippe Gilbert remains atop the standings after a dominant 2011, Tour de France winner Cadel Evans (BMC) stays in second and Joaquim Rodriguez is still in third, new 2011 Giro d'Italia champion Michele Scarponi ascends to fourth.
Scarponi was also declared winner of the Volta a Catalunya after Contador's ban.
Other riders to benefit are World Champion Mark Cavendish, who moves into fifth place, and Jérôme Coppel, who is now the winner of the 2011 Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia, moving the Frenchman from 43rd to 57th in the index.
The rankings are calculated on an annual, rolling basis, meaning Tour Down Under winner Simon Gerrans dropped out of the top 20 after skipping the Tours of Oman and Qatar, while Lotto-Belisol's Andre Greipel, who won two stages in Oman and three at Tour Down Under, moves up to 17th.
Not yet in the top 200 are two riders, Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and break-out rider Jonathan Tiernan-Locke (Endura Racing), who have scored important wins in the early season.
Valverde, returning from a two-year suspension, is only at 259th with a complete lack of 2011 points, while Tiernan-Locke put in impressive performances at the Tour of Britain, Tour de Mediterranean and Tour du Haut Var over the past year.
This week's highest mover was Australian Riche Porte who moved up 23 places to 113th after winning a stage and the overall of the Tour of the Algarve (Tier 3). Jakob Fuglsang still tops the rankings for both kilometres raced (16,063) and days raced (100).
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The IG Markets Pro Cycling Index is based on points from 120 top international road races throughout the season. Races are tiered depending on history, importance and calibre of field rather than UCI Class.
Wins carry much greater weight and are rewarded more than placings, while bonus points are awarded for multiple victories in the top races, winning the most prestigious stages at the Grand Tours or outstanding efforts during the Tour de France.
