Gilbert goes top of WorldTour standings

Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) has moved to the top of the WorldTour rankings at the end of a week that saw him complete the hat-trick of Ardennes Classic victories.

The Belgian’s wins at Amstel Gold, Flèche Wallone and Liège-Bastogne-Liège mean that he enjoys a commanding lead at head of the standings, 120 points clear of his nearest challenger and previous number one Fabian Cancellara (Leopard Trek).

Gilbert’s recent haul also sees Matt Goss (HTC-Highroad), Andreas Klöden (RadioShack) and Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) all move down one spot.

Elsewhere in the individual standings, last year’s number one Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) moves from 27th to 11th place, although the onset at allergies at Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday dented his chances of moving up still further.

While the Schleck brothers failed to make their numbers count against Gilbert in the finale of La Doyenne, their efforts were enough to see their Leopard Trek squad go top of the team rankings, with a 38-point buffer over previous leader RadioShack. Gilbert’s spate of wins has also propelled Omega Pharma-Lotto up five places to third.

The nation standings remain largely unchanged after the Ardennes, with Gilbert’s success further cementing Belgium’s number one ranking ahead of Australia. The Schleck’s efforts move Luxembourg up 16 places, knocking Great Britain into 11th place.

Countries seeking a full complement of 9 riders at the world championships must be in the top 10 of the standings on August 15th.

WorldTour standings