Netherlands top World Championships nations ranking

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The Netherlands lead the way in the newly established nations ranking at the World Championships. The Dutch stormed to the top of the table with 545 points, over 100 more than the second placed nation France. Australia finished third just five points behind France with home nation USA a further point down in fourth place.

While the Netherlands didn’t take home a rainbow jersey, it was a strong overall performance that helped push them to the top. They took a whopping 255 points by getting three riders into the top 20 of the elite women's road race, including a second place with Anna van der Breggen. The 25-year-old’s silver medal in the time trial, along with seventh for Ellen van Dijk, added another 140 points for the country. The men did their part too, with top 20 placings for Tom Dumoulin and Niki Terpstra in the elite road race.

France’s strong position in the table was largely down to the men’s under 23 race, where Kevin Ledanois won and Anthony Turgis finished second. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot and Tony Gallopin also added to their tally in their respective road races. The USA also featured heavily in the younger categories, specifically in the junior women’s where Chloe Dygert and Emma White earned them two gold and two silver medals respectively. Megan Guarnier’s bronze in the women’s road race made it a largely successful outing for the home nation.

Despite having such a strong team, the Belgians didn’t fare well in rankings, ending the World Championships in 18th place out of 32 classified nations. They scored a total of 105 points, with Philippe Gilbert’s 10th place in the road race providing the bulk of that. Spain also relied heavily on their elite men’s team, as Alejandro Valverde gave them 120 of their 150 points. Peter Sagan was the only rider to score points for his nation but his victory in the men's road race was enough to put them 10th. 

In the road race events, points were given to the top 20 in the men’s and women’s elite categories and the top 15 in the remaining three categories. In the time trial, it is still the top 20 in the elite women’s, while the top 15 in the elite men and the junior men and women score points. For the under 23 men’s time trial it is just the top eight that add to their nation’s score. No points were awarded in the team time trial. 

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