Cyclingflash Ranking Launched: It’s Not What You Win, But Who You Beat That Counts

We introduce the Cyclingflash Ranking, a new alternative to the traditional UCI World Ranking. The new system no longer evaluates cyclists based on accumulated points but looks at the actual quality of performances by analyzing which opponents riders compete against. "A tenth place in a sprint full of world-class riders can be worth more than a win in a weakly attended race," explains Maxim Horssels, editor-in-chief of Wielerflits.

The Cyclingflash Ranking is updated daily and takes into account the current form of riders, unlike the UCI system that looks back a full year. This means that riders who come into form quickly move up, while performances against weak competition count less. "The system offers rankings for all disciplines – from sprint to general classification – and finally gives recognition to specialists who are often undervalued in the current points system," says Klaas Maes, CTO of Wielerflits and the initiator of the new ranking.

At the heart of the system are the underlying 'ratings' that reflect each rider’s current strength. After each race, these ratings are adjusted: performing well against strong opponents raises your rating, while disappointing against weaker competition lowers it. These individual ratings then determine the rankings.

"It is a source for a new form of cycling journalism. The new ranking enables our editorial team to support trends with data," says Maxim Horssels. “In this story, for example, we compare the strength of the Visma | Lease a Bike selection this year with that of next year. Which specializations improve thanks to new additions, and in what areas do they weaken due to departing riders? By presenting these insights visually, we make complex data accessible to a broad audience. On the Wielerflits platforms, we do this for our Dutch-speaking audience; on Cyclingflash, we focus on the international cycling fan."

On Cyclingflash.com, the profile pages have been expanded with the ratings, and on the team pages you can see what that means for a squad’s strength. The rankings can be viewed on the Ranking page.

In this Q&A, we answer questions about how the Cyclingflash Ranking works.

How does it work?

The Cyclingflash Rankings are not a simple sum of races won or accumulated UCI points. We look at how strong the competition is. A fifth place in a sprint against top riders like Jonathan Milan, Jasper Philipsen, and Tim Merlier can therefore be worth more than a victory in a less competitive field.

Every professional race counts – from WorldTour to UCI .2 events. This way, smaller races also get the attention they deserve.
Daily updates – after every race, the standings change, so you always have the most current picture.
Focus on the present – whereas the UCI ranking looks back a full year, Cyclingflash shows who the strongest riders are today.

This creates a fairer, more up-to-date picture of the balance of power in the peloton.

The six Rankings

Sprint Ranking – Who is the best sprinter right now?

The bunch sprint is one of the most spectacular aspects of cycling. In a few hundred meters, pure power, courage, and timing decide victory or defeat. The Sprint Ranking measures who week after week is the strongest in those chaotic final sprints. Not only the winner counts: every time a rider fights for the top positions, this is taken into account. This way, you can see who really competes with the very best sprinters, even if they don’t always cross the line first.