March 16, 2009 (Aigle, Switzerland) – Australia’s Allan Davis of the Quick Step team continues to lead the UCI World Ranking after the Paris-Nice stage race but Spain’s Luis Leon Sanchez of the Caisse d’Epargne team has emerged as a serious contender for the season-long competition.

Sanchez won Paris-Nice with an audacious ride on the testing seventh stage to Fayence in the south of France. He attacked Spanish rival Alberto Contador (Astana) on the final climb and managed to gain enough time to snatch the overall race lead. On the final stage to Nice on Sunday Contador tried to take back the yellow jersey but Sanchez hung on to win by sixty seconds.

Sanchez scored a total of 110 points for overall victory and his stage results at Paris-Nice. With the single point he scored in the Tour Down Under in Australia, Sanchez now has a total of 111 points, just 11 behind Davis.

Luxembourg’s Frank Schleck of the Saxo Bank team finished second overall at Paris-Nice and is third in the UCI world ranking after scoring a total of 88 points. Team mate Stuart O’Grady is fourth just one point behind with 87 points, and Frenchman Sylvain Chavanel of the Quick Step team is fifth with 77 points after finishing third in Paris-Nice and leading the race early on.

Quick Step is still leading the teams’ rankings

Chavanel’s third place helped the Quick Step team hang onto the top spot in the UCI team world ranking. The Belgian based team now has a total of 230 points thanks to strong performances by Davis, Chavanel and the other riders in the blue and white jerseys.

Saxo Bank is second in the team ranking with 217 points, while Caisse d’Epargne is third with 188 points. Caisse d’Epargne won the UCI ProTour team standings in 2008 and have the strength in depth to climb to the top later in the season.

Spain overtakes Australia

Spain took the lead in the UCI world nations ranking, overtaking Australia who did so well on home turf at the Tour Down Under. Spain has a total of 328 points, with Australia slipping to second with 315 points. France is a distant third with 96 points.

Just like the Tour Down Under, Paris-Nice saw some spectacular racing with the race leadership changing hands several times as riders suffered and lost time on the dramatic key stages.

The next race on the UCI world Calendar is Tirreno-Adriatico which is taking placing at the moment in Italy. Then the one-day Milan-San Remo classic on Saturday March 21 promises to be just as entertaining to watch. The Italian race celebrates its hundredth birthday, and with Lance Armstrong also riding, professional cycling is set to be in the global sporting headlines yet again.

After the stage race riders dominance at Paris-Nice, the sprinters will be out in force at Milan-San Remo. With 100 points awarded to the winner, the UCI World rankings could change yet again next Monday.

Individual Ranking as of March 15, 2009 (brief)

1. Allan Davis (Aus) Quick Step 122 points
2. Luis Leon Sanchez (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne 111
3. Frank Schleck (Lux) Saxo Bank 88
4. Stuart O’Grady (Aus) Saxo Bank 77
5. Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Quick Step
6. Jose Joaquin Gil (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne 77
7. Alberto Contador (Spa) Astana 76
8. Martin Elminger (Sui) AG2R Mondiale 64
9. Antonio Colom (Spa) Katusha
10. Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) Francaise des Jeux 50