Tiernan-Locke leads UCI Europe Tour

After a fairytale start to the 2012 season, Endura Racing's Jonathan Tiernan-Locke is on top of the leader board of the UCI's Europe Tour. The 27-year-old started off with two stage victories and the overall win in the Tour Méditerranéen, and then followed with a stage win and the overall victory in the Tour du Haut-Var a week later.

He leads Etoile de Bessèges winner Jérôme Coppel (Saur-Sojasun) by 222 points to 139, while Cofidis rider Rein Taaramae is in third with 105 points after taking second overall in the Vuelta a Andalucia - Ruta Ciclista del Sol.

The UCI Europe Tour rankings do not include riders from the WorldTour, such as Ruta winner Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), and do not yet include points from the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad or Sunday's Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, G.P. Città di Lugano, Les Boucles du Sud Ardèche or Clasica de Almeria.

Tiernan-Locke's lead will not be threatened by any of the results from the latter part of the weekend, however, as none of the other riders in the top of the standings scored points.

With only the Oceania Championships remaining in the UCI's Oceania Tour, New Zealand Cycle Classic winner Jay McCarthy (Team Jayco - AIS) holds a one point lead over Jayco Herald Sun Tour stage winner Rhys Pollock and a two point advantage over third placed Michael Vink, the New Zealand road champion.

In the UCI Asia Tour, Taiji Nishitani (Aisan), runner up in the Japan Cup and Tour de Okinawa, leads the standings over continental champion Wong Kam-Po and Tour of Hainan stand-out Justin Jules (Veranda Rideau - Super U).

Venezuelan Jimmi Briceno leads the UCI Americas Tour thanks to his overall win in the Vuelta al Tachira en Bicicleta. He currently holds a one point lead over Vuelta a Bolivia winner Juan Cotumba and a further point ahead of Chilean Luis Mansilla, winner of three stages at the Vuelta Chile and leader for eight days.

African continental champion Natnael Berhane still leads the UCI Africa Tour over Tour of Rwanda winner Kiel Reijnen (Team Type 1-Sanofi) and Moroccan Tarik Chaoufi, winner of last week's GP Sakia El Hamra.
 

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