Tadej Pogačar goes into the Tour de France as leader of the Road Code Ranking (Getty Images)
The Road Code Ranking is a unique way of classifying the best-performing riders over a cycling season, based on the quality of the start list and the race. Alongside the overall ranking, there are six sub-rankings to determine who is the best sprinter, climber, time-triallist, one-day rider, stage racer and Grand Tour rider.
The 2024 Tour de France is finally upon us, and in the battle for stage victories and the yellow jersey, there are set to be some big changes in the Road Code Ranking.
When the Tour rolls out of Florence on Saturday morning, UAE Team Emirates’ Tadej Pogačar will do so not just as the favourite to win the race, but as the leader of the Road Code Ranking by a whopping 2,356 points. He also tops two of the six sub-rankings: Climb and Grand Tour.
Riders who win a stage during the Tour will earn 250 points – 50 points more than stage winners picked up during the Giro d’Italia. Why the increased scoring? Simple answer: the level of competition is much higher at the Tour, and the Road Code Ranking reflects the prestige of riders on the start line. Meanwhile, the rider who wins yellow in Nice on July 21 will pick up 1,300 points, while 1,000 points will be awarded to the runner-up, and 800 to third place. That’s a lot of points on offer, but reducing Pogačar’s advantage will be a tall order.
Big moves, however, are expected in the top 10. Soudal Quick-Step’s Remco Evenepoel, targeting stage wins and a top-five finish, is hopeful of gaining a big chunk of points and is likely to move up from fourth, while the likes of Primož Roglič (Red Bull – BORA - hansgrohe), currently in 16th, and Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Jasper Philipsen, in 12th, are also expected to advance up the ranking. Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) sits in 19th at the moment due to not having raced since April, but if he can find race-winning form after his injury, he will shoot up into the top 10, and possibly even higher.
The Road Code Ranking going into the Tour de France
Riders who earned hundreds of points at the Giro but who won’t be at the Tour will fall from the top 10, including Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe’s Dani Martínez, Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek). Speaking of those sprinters, Merlier currently leads the Sprint sub-ranking by almost 300 points from Milan, but a couple of stage wins and other high placings will see Philipsen take the lead. He would also earn an additional 200 points if he defends his green jersey.
While the Sprint sub-ranking is likely to have a new leader come the end of the Tour, it’s less probable in the Climb ranking, where Pogačar has a lead of 1,616 points over Lotto Dstny’s Maxim Van Gils. However, with Van Gils focusing on winning multiple stages from the breakaway, the young Belgian could accrue significant points and consolidate his second place. With so many points on offer for stage wins, and 200 points awarded to the winner of the polka dot jersey, the Climb sub-ranking will see some major changes.
Watch: Road Code Ranking explained
The other two sub-rankings that will see movement this July are the Individual Time Trial and the Grand Tour rankings. Filippo Ganna leads the former but isn’t competing in the Tour, while Pogačar is expected to significantly add to his lead in the Grand Tour ranking. With only Pogačar, Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers, 4th) and Romain Bardet (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL, 11th) racing the Tour on the back of the Giro, the sub-ranking will look a lot different in a few weeks’ time.
It’s almost implausible, however, that Pogačar will not top the various rankings he already does - unless he crashes out or someone else wins six stages, the mountains jersey and the overall title by nigh on 10 minutes. That’s just far too fanciful and has no chance of happening, right? Right?
Let the best show on earth begin.