# 2016 UCI World Tour

The 2016 UCI World Tour was a competition that included 27 road cycling events throughout the 2016 men's cycling season. It was the eighth edition of the ranking system launched by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) in 2009. The competition started with the opening stage of the Tour Down Under on 19 January, and concluded with Il Lombardia on 1 October. Spain's Alejandro Valverde was the two-times defending champion.
Valverde was unable to defend his title, as he finished fourth in the individual rankings. The title was won for the first time by Slovakian rider Peter Sagan for the Tinkoff team, scoring 669 points over the course of the season. This included victories at Gent–Wevelgem, the Tour of Flanders and the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec. Second place went to Valverde's Movistar Team team-mate Nairo Quintana, 60 points behind Sagan; Quintana also won three races overall: the Volta a Catalunya, the Tour de Romandie and the season's final Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España. Third place in the individual rankings went to Chris Froome (Team Sky), 45 points behind Quintana and 105 in arrears of Sagan. Froome took two wins on French soil during the World Tour campaign, winning the Critérium du Dauphiné as well as the Tour de France.
Two other sub-classifications were also contested. In the teams' rankings, Movistar Team finished top for the fourth year running, with a total of 1471 points. Second place went to Tinkoff, 110 points behind, while Team Sky finished in third position. The nations' rankings was headed by Spain, with a points advantage of 29 over Colombia, with Great Britain over 400 points adrift of Spain in third place.

## Teams

Professional cycling teams were divided into several tiers: the top teams were UCI WorldTeams and were automatically entitled and obliged to enter all World Tour races. The organisers of each race were also permitted to invite other teams – generally UCI Professional Continental teams – to compete alongside the WorldTeams. The UCI selected the teams based on sporting, ethical, financial and administrative criteria. The number of WorldTeams was limited to 18. In October 2015, 17 teams were granted WorldTeam status by the UCI; these were the same teams that competed in the 2015 UCI World Tour. In November, the final WorldTeam licence was awarded to Team Dimension Data, which had previously competed at Professional Continental level as MTN–Qhubeka. There were therefore a total of 18 teams selected for the 2016 World Tour.
As well as the addition of Team Dimension Data, there were two other changes to the team names for the 2016 season. The team that in 2015 had competed as Tinkoff–Saxo lost Saxo Bank as a sponsor and therefore became Tinkoff, while Cannondale–Garmin became Cannondale, although Garmin remained a sponsor of the team. Cannondale later became Cannondale–Drapac and Orica–GreenEDGE became Orica–BikeExchange as a result of mid-season sponsorship agreements.
2016 UCI World Teams and equipment :
| Code | Official Team Name | Country | Groupset | Road Bike(s) | Time Trial Bike | Wheels |
| ALM | AG2R La Mondiale (2016 season) | France | SRAM | Focus Izalco Max Focus Cayo | Focus Izalco Chrono | Zipp |
| AST | Astana (2016 season) | Kazakhstan | Campagnolo | Specialized Venge S-Works Tarmac Specialized Roubaix | Specialized Shiv | Corima |
| BMC | BMC Racing Team (2016 season) | United States | Shimano | BMC Teammachine SLR01 BMC Timemachine TMR01 BMC Granfondo GF01 | BMC TimeMachine TM01 | Shimano |
| CPT | Cannondale–Drapac (2016 season) | United States | Shimano | Cannondale SuperSix EVO Cannondale Synapse | Cannondale Slice | Mavic |
| DDD | Team Dimension Data (2016 season) | South Africa | Shimano/Rotor | Cervelo S5 Cervelo R5 Cervelo C5 | Cervelo P5 | Enve |
| EQS | Etixx–Quick-Step (2016 season) | Belgium | Shimano FSA | Specialized Venge S-Works Tarmac Specialized Roubaix | Specialized Shiv | Shimano |
| FDJ | FDJ (2016 season) | France | Shimano | Lapierre Xelius SL Lapierre AircodeSL Lapierre Pulsium | Lapierre Aerostorm | Shimano |
| IAM | IAM Cycling (2016 season) | Switzerland | Shimano | Scott Foil Scott Addict Scott Solace | Scott Plasma | DT Swiss [de] |
| LAM | Lampre–Merida (2016 season) | Italy | Shimano Rotor | Merida Reacto Evo Merida Scultura Merida Ride | Merida Warp | Fulcrum |
| LTS | Lotto–Soudal (2016 season) | Belgium | Campagnolo | Ridley Helium SL Ridley Noah SL Ridley Fenix SL | Ridley Dean Fast | Campagnolo |
| MOV | Movistar Team (2016 season) | Spain | Campagnolo | Canyon Ultimate CF SLX Canyon Aeroad CF SLX Canyon Endurance CF SL | Canyon Speedmax CF | Campagnolo |
| OGE | Orica–BikeExchange (2016 season) | Australia | Shimano | Scott Foil Scott Addict Scott Solace | Scott Plasma | Shimano |
| TGA | Team Giant–Alpecin (2016 season) | Germany | Shimano | Giant TCR Advanced SL Giant Propel Advanced SL Giant Defy Advanced SL | Giant Trinity | Shimano |
| KAT | Team Katusha (2016 season) | Russia | SRAM | Canyon Ultimate CF SLX Canyon Aeroad CF SLX Canyon Endurance CF SL | Canyon Speedmax CF | Zipp |
| TLJ | LottoNL–Jumbo (2016 season) | Netherlands | Shimano | Bianchi OltreXR2 Bianchi Specialissima Bianchi Infinito CV | Bianchi Aquila CV | Shimano |
| SKY | Team Sky (2016 season) | Great Britain | Shimano | Pinarello Dogma F8 Pinarello Dogma K8-S Pinarello Dogma K8 | Pinarello Bolide | Shimano |
| TNK | Tinkoff (2016 season) | Russia | Shimano | Specialized Venge S-Works Tarmac Specialized Roubaix | Specialized Shiv | Roval |
| TFS | Trek–Segafredo (2016 season) | United States | Shimano | Trek Emonda Trek Madone Trek Domane | Trek SpeedConcept | Bontrager |

## Events

All events from the 2015 UCI World Tour were included, although some events were scheduled on different dates than previous editions. For the 2016 season UCI put forward a new ranking system to run alongside the normal WorldTour rankings. The new World Rankings ran over a 52-week period like the ATP and WTA rankings in tennis.
The team time trial at the UCI World Championships, scheduled to be held on 9 October, had been due to award points towards the team rankings. In August 2016, the Association International des Groupes Cyclistes Professionels (AIGCP) approved a motion for all UCI WorldTeams to boycott the time trial event, due to the UCI insisting that WorldTeams should compete in the event as a requirement of granting a WorldTeam licence without providing a participation allowance to teams, as is the case with other UCI World Tour races. It was reported that the UCI Professional Continental teams attending the AIGCP General Assembly also supported the motion. The UCI expressed disappointment with the move and stated that it "continued to expect excellent participation in this year's UCI Road World Championships Team Time Trial". However a month later, it was announced that WorldTeams would compete in the event, although not compulsory, and no points would be awarded towards the World Tour rankings.
Races in the 2016 UCI World Tour :
| Race | Date | Winner | Winner | Second | Second | Third | Third | Other points (4th place onwards) | Stage points |
| Tour Down Under | 19–24 January | Simon Gerrans (AUS) | 100 pts | Richie Porte (AUS) | 80 pts | Sergio Henao (COL) | 70 pts | 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 4 | 6, 4, 2, 1, 1 |
| Paris–Nice | 6–13 March | Geraint Thomas (GBR) | 100 pts | Alberto Contador (ESP) | 80 pts | Richie Porte (AUS) | 70 pts | 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 4 | 6, 4, 2, 1, 1 |
| Tirreno–Adriatico | 9–15 March | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | 100 pts | Peter Sagan (SVK) | 80 pts | Bob Jungels (LUX) | 70 pts | 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 4 | 6, 4, 2, 1, 1 |
| Milan–San Remo | 19 March | Arnaud Démare (FRA) | 100 pts | Ben Swift (GBR) | 80 pts | Jürgen Roelandts (BEL) | 70 pts | 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 4 | N/A |
| Volta a Catalunya | 21–27 March | Nairo Quintana (COL) | 100 pts | Alberto Contador (ESP) | 80 pts | Dan Martin (IRL) | 70 pts | 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 4 | 6, 4, 2, 1, 1 |
| E3 Harelbeke | 25 March | Michał Kwiatkowski (POL) | 80 pts | Peter Sagan (SVK) | 60 pts | Ian Stannard (GBR) | 50 pts | 40, 30, 22, 14, 10, 6, 2 | N/A |
| Gent–Wevelgem | 27 March | Peter Sagan (SVK) | 80 pts | Sep Vanmarcke (BEL) | 60 pts | Vyacheslav Kuznetsov (RUS) | 50 pts | 40, 30, 22, 14, 10, 6, 2 | N/A |
| Tour of Flanders | 3 April | Peter Sagan (SVK) | 100 pts | Fabian Cancellara (SUI) | 80 pts | Sep Vanmarcke (BEL) | 70 pts | 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 4 | N/A |
| Tour of the Basque Country | 4–9 April | Alberto Contador (ESP) | 100 pts | Sergio Henao (COL) | 80 pts | Nairo Quintana (COL) | 70 pts | 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 4 | 6, 4, 2, 1, 1 |
| Paris–Roubaix | 10 April | Mathew Hayman (AUS) | 100 pts | Tom Boonen (BEL) | 80 pts | Ian Stannard (GBR) | 70 pts | 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 4 | N/A |
| Amstel Gold Race | 17 April | Enrico Gasparotto (ITA) | 0 pts | Michael Valgren (DEN) | 60 pts | Sonny Colbrelli (ITA) | 0 pts | 40, 30, 22, 14, 10, 6, 2 | N/A |
| La Flèche Wallonne | 20 April | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | 80 pts | Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) | 60 pts | Dan Martin (IRL) | 50 pts | 40, 30, 22, 14, 10, 6, 2 | N/A |
| Liège–Bastogne–Liège | 24 April | Wout Poels (NED) | 100 pts | Michael Albasini (SUI) | 80 pts | Rui Costa (POR) | 70 pts | 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 4 | N/A |
| Tour de Romandie | 26 April – 1 May | Nairo Quintana (COL) | 100 pts | Thibaut Pinot (FRA) | 80 pts | Ion Izagirre (ESP) | 70 pts | 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 4 | 6, 4, 2, 1, 1 |
| Giro d'Italia | 6–29 May | Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) | 170 pts | Esteban Chaves (COL) | 130 pts | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | 100 pts | 90, 80, 70, 60, 52, 44, 38, 32, 26, 22, 18, 14, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 | 16, 8, 4, 2, 1 |
| Critérium du Dauphiné | 5–12 June | Chris Froome (GBR) | 100 pts | Romain Bardet (FRA) | 80 pts | Dan Martin (IRL) | 70 pts | 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 4 | 6, 4, 2, 1, 1 |
| Tour de Suisse | 11–19 June | Miguel Ángel López (COL) | 100 pts | Ion Izagirre (ESP) | 80 pts | Warren Barguil (FRA) | 70 pts | 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 4 | 6, 4, 2, 1, 1 |
| Tour de France | 2–24 July | Chris Froome (GBR) | 200 pts | Romain Bardet (FRA) | 150 pts | Nairo Quintana (COL) | 120 pts | 110, 100, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 24, 20, 16, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 | 20, 10, 6, 4, 2 |
| Tour de Pologne | 12–18 July | Tim Wellens (BEL) | 100 pts | Fabio Felline (ITA) | 80 pts | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) | 70 pts | 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 4 | 6, 4, 2, 1, 1 |
| Clásica de San Sebastián | 30 July | Bauke Mollema (NED) | 80 pts | Tony Gallopin (FRA) | 60 pts | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | 50 pts | 40, 30, 22, 14, 10, 6, 2 | N/A |
| Vuelta a España | 20 August – 11 September | Nairo Quintana (COL) | 170 pts | Chris Froome (GBR) | 130 pts | Esteban Chaves (COL) | 100 pts | 90, 80, 70, 60, 52, 44, 38, 32, 26, 22, 18, 14, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 | 16, 8, 4, 2, 1 |
| EuroEyes Cyclassics | 21 August | Caleb Ewan (AUS) | 80 pts | John Degenkolb (DEU) | 60 pts | Giacomo Nizzolo (ITA) | 50 pts | 40, 30, 22, 14, 10, 6, 2 | N/A |
| GP Ouest-France | 28 August | Oliver Naesen (BEL) | 80 pts | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) | 60 pts | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) | 50 pts | 40, 30, 22, 14, 10, 6, 2 | N/A |
| GP de Québec | 9 September | Peter Sagan (SVK) | 80 pts | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | 60 pts | Anthony Roux (FRA) | 50 pts | 40, 30, 22, 14, 10, 6, 2 | N/A |
| GP de Montréal | 11 September | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | 80 pts | Peter Sagan (SVK) | 60 pts | Diego Ulissi (ITA) | 50 pts | 40, 30, 22, 14, 10, 6, 2 | N/A |
| / Eneco Tour | 19–25 September | Niki Terpstra (NED) | 100 pts | Oliver Naesen (BEL) | 80 pts | Peter Sagan (SVK) | 70 pts | 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 4 | 6, 4, 2, 1, 1 |
| Il Lombardia | 1 October | Esteban Chaves (COL) | 100 pts | Diego Rosa (ITA) | 80 pts | Rigoberto Urán (COL) | 70 pts | 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 4 | N/A |

### Notes

* ↑ As Gasparotto rode for Wanty–Groupe Gobert, which is not a UCI World Team, he was ineligible to score points towards the UCI World Tour standings.
* ↑ As Colbrelli rode for Bardiani–CSF, which is not a UCI World Team, he was ineligible to score points towards the UCI World Tour standings.

## Final points standings
### Individual

Riders tied with the same number of points were classified by number of victories, then number of second places, third places, and so on, in World Tour events and stages.
| Rank | Name | Team | Points |
| 1 | Peter Sagan (SVK) | Tinkoff | 669 |
| 2 | Nairo Quintana (COL) | Movistar Team | 609 |
| 3 | Chris Froome (GBR) | Team Sky | 564 |
| 4 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP) | Movistar Team | 436 |
| 5 | Alberto Contador (ESP) | Tinkoff | 428 |
| 6 | Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) | BMC Racing Team | 420 |
| 7 | Richie Porte (AUS) | BMC Racing Team | 394 |
| 8 | Romain Bardet (FRA) | AG2R La Mondiale | 374 |
| 9 | Esteban Chaves (COL) | Orica–BikeExchange | 351 |
| 10 | Dan Martin (IRL) | Etixx–Quick-Step | 280 |
| 11 | Ion Izagirre (ESP) | Movistar Team | 270 |
| 12 | Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) | Astana | 241 |
| 13 | Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) | Team Katusha | 239 |
| 14 | Sergio Henao (COL) | Team Sky | 234 |
| 15 | Alexander Kristoff (NOR) | Team Katusha | 229 |
| 16 | Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP) | Team Katusha | 211 |
| 17 | Thibaut Pinot (FRA) | FDJ | 206 |
| 18 | Sep Vanmarcke (BEL) | LottoNL–Jumbo | 201 |
| 19 | Rui Costa (POR) | Lampre–Merida | 194 |
| 20 | Alberto Bettiol (ITA) | Cannondale–Drapac | 185 |
| 21 | Michael Matthews (AUS) | Orica–BikeExchange | 184 |
| 22 | Fabian Cancellara (SUI) | Trek–Segafredo | 176 |
| 23 | Oliver Naesen (BEL) | IAM Cycling | 162 |
| 24 | Bauke Mollema (NED) | Trek–Segafredo | 160 |
| 25 | Arnaud Démare (FRA) | FDJ | 154 |
* 235 riders scored points. 34 other riders finished in positions that would have earned them points, but they were ineligible as they were not members of a WorldTeam.

### Team

Team rankings were calculated by adding the ranking points of the top five riders of a team in the table.
| Rank | Team | Points | Top 5 riders |
| 1 | Movistar Team | 1471 | N. Quintana (609), Valverde (436), I. Izagirre (270), Fernández (88), Amador (68) |
| 2 | Tinkoff | 1361 | P. Sagan (669), Contador (428), Majka (110), Kreuziger (86), McCarthy (68) |
| 3 | Team Sky | 1187 | Froome (564), Ser. Henao (234), Poels (148), Thomas (121), Stannard (120) |
| 4 | BMC Racing Team | 1128 | Van Avermaet (420), Porte (394), S. Sánchez (130), van Garderen (104), Atapuma (80) |
| 5 | Orica–BikeExchange | 909 | Chaves (351), Matthews (184), A. Yates (144), Gerrans (119), Ewan (111) |
| 6 | Team Katusha | 789 | Zakarin (239), Kristoff (229), Rodríguez (211), Špilak (60), Kuznetsov (50) |
| 7 | Etixx–Quick-Step | 775 | D. Martin (280), Jungels (153), Alaphilippe (146), Terpstra (108), Štybar (88) |
| 8 | Cannondale–Drapac | 616 | Bettiol (185), Urán (137), Talansky (132), Formolo (108), Villella (54) |
| 9 | Trek–Segafredo | 565 | Cancellara (176), Mollema (160), Felline (108), Nizzolo (90), Stuyven (31) |
| 10 | Astana | 539 | Nibali (241), Rosa (110), M. López (109), Scarponi (43), Aru (36) |
| 11 | FDJ | 516 | Pinot (206), Démare (154), Reichenbach (84), Roux (56), Geniez (16) |
| 12 | LottoNL–Jumbo | 506 | Vanmarcke (201), Kruijswijk (118), Kelderman (74), Gesink (59), van Emden (54) |
| 13 | AG2R La Mondiale | 482 | Bardet (374), Pozzovivo (32), Dupont (32), Latour (22), Péraud (22) |
| 14 | Lotto–Soudal | 463 | Wellens (130), Greipel (92), Roelandts (90), Gallopin (85), Benoot (66) |
| 15 | Lampre–Merida | 442 | R. Costa (194), Ulissi (129), Meintjes (85), Modolo (18), Conti (16) |
| 16 | Team Giant–Alpecin | 435 | T. Dumoulin (149), Barguil (144), Degenkolb (98), Arndt (38), T. Ludvigsson (6) |
| 17 | IAM Cycling | 418 | Naesen (162), Pantano (115), Haussler (72), Frank (39), Warbasse (30) |
| 18 | Team Dimension Data | 290 | Cavendish (80), Boasson Hagen (79), Haas (53), Sivtsov (40), Cummings (38) |

### Nation

National rankings were calculated by adding the ranking points of the top five riders registered in a nation in the table. The national rankings were also used to determine how many riders a country could have in the World Championships.
| Rank | Nation | Points | Top 5 riders (if applicable) |
| 1 | Spain | 1475 | Valverde (436), Contador (428), I. Izagirre (270), Rodríguez (211), S. Sánchez (130) |
| 2 | Colombia | 1446 | N. Quintana (609), Chaves (351), Ser. Henao (234), Urán (137), Pantano (115) |
| 3 | Great Britain | 1050 | Froome (564), A. Yates (144), Thomas (121), Stannard (120), S. Yates (101) |
| 4 | France | 1024 | Bardet (374), Pinot (206), Démare (154), Alaphilippe (146), Barguil (144) |
| 5 | Belgium | 1003 | Van Avermaet (420), Vanmarcke (201), Naesen (162), Wellens (130), Roelandts (90) |
| 6 | Australia | 908 | Porte (394), Matthews (184), Gerrans (119), Ewan (111), Hayman (100) |
| 7 | Italy | 773 | Nibali (241), Bettiol (185), Ulissi (129), Rosa (110), Felline (108) |
| 8 | Netherlands | 683 | Mollema (160), T. Dumoulin (149), Poels (148), Kruijswijk (118), Terpstra (108) |
| 9 | Slovakia | 669 | P. Sagan (669) |
| 10 | Switzerland | 416 | Cancellara (176), Albasini (106), Reichenbach (84), Frank (39), Morabito (11) |
| 11 | Norway | 343 | Kristoff (229), Boasson Hagen (79), Holst Enger (16), Hoelgaard (14), Stake Laengen (5) |
| 12 | Germany | 339 | Degenkolb (98), Greipel (92), Kittel (81), Arndt (38), Sieberg (30) |
| 13 | Russia | 336 | Zakarin (239), Kuznetsov (50), Lagutin (20), Silin (18), Tsatevich (9) |
| 14 | Ireland | 286 | D. Martin (280), Roche (6) |
| 15 | United States | 280 | Talansky (132), van Garderen (104), Warbasse (30), Craddock (10), Dombrowski (4) |
* ↑ After his positive test for the banned substance terbutaline in an in-competition test during Paris–Nice, Yates was disqualified from his seventh place finish overall, and lost the 30 points awarded.
* Riders from 35 nations scored points.

## Leader progress

| Event (Winner) | Top Individual | Top Team | Top Nation |
| Tour Down Under (Simon Gerrans) | Simon Gerrans | Orica–GreenEDGE | Australia |
| Paris–Nice (Geraint Thomas) | Richie Porte | Team Sky | Australia |
| Tirreno–Adriatico (Greg Van Avermaet) | Richie Porte | BMC Racing Team | Australia |
| Milan–San Remo (Arnaud Démare) | Richie Porte | Team Sky | Australia |
| E3 Harelbeke (Michał Kwiatkowski) | Richie Porte | Team Sky | Australia |
| Volta a Catalunya (Nairo Quintana) | Richie Porte | Team Sky | Australia |
| Gent–Wevelgem (Peter Sagan) | Peter Sagan | Tinkoff | Australia |
| Tour of Flanders (Peter Sagan) | Peter Sagan | Tinkoff | Australia |
| Tour of the Basque Country (Alberto Contador) | Peter Sagan | Tinkoff | Spain |
| Paris–Roubaix (Mathew Hayman) | Peter Sagan | Tinkoff | Australia |
| Amstel Gold Race (Enrico Gasparotto) | Peter Sagan | Tinkoff | Australia |
| La Flèche Wallonne (Alejandro Valverde) | Peter Sagan | Tinkoff | Australia |
| Liège–Bastogne–Liège (Wout Poels) | Peter Sagan | Tinkoff | Spain |
| Tour de Romandie (Nairo Quintana) | Peter Sagan | Tinkoff | Spain |
| Giro d'Italia (Vincenzo Nibali) | Peter Sagan | Tinkoff | Spain |
| Critérium du Dauphiné (Chris Froome) | Alberto Contador | Tinkoff | Spain |
| Tour de Suisse (Miguel Ángel López) | Peter Sagan | Tinkoff | Spain |
| Tour de Pologne (Tim Wellens) | Peter Sagan | Tinkoff | Spain |
| Tour de France (Chris Froome) | Peter Sagan | Movistar Team | Spain |
| Clásica de San Sebastián (Bauke Mollema) | Peter Sagan | Movistar Team | Spain |
| EuroEyes Cyclassics (Caleb Ewan) | Peter Sagan | Movistar Team | Spain |
| GP Ouest-France (Oliver Naesen) | Peter Sagan | Movistar Team | Spain |
| Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec (Peter Sagan) | Peter Sagan | Movistar Team | Spain |
| Vuelta a España (Nairo Quintana) | Nairo Quintana | Movistar Team | Spain |
| Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal (Greg Van Avermaet) | Nairo Quintana | Movistar Team | Spain |
| Eneco Tour (Niki Terpstra) | Peter Sagan | Movistar Team | Spain |
| Il Lombardia (Esteban Chaves) | Peter Sagan | Movistar Team | Spain |