Professional cycling’s biggest stage race, the Tour de France, started this weekend with a victory for Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) in the opening leg from Mont-Saint-Michel to Utah Beach, which finished with a bunch sprint. Cavendish has now taken 27 stages in the Tour de France, but his victory last weekend netted the Briton his first ever lead in the Tour in a professional career stretching back to 2007.
On stage two from Saint-Lô to Cherbourg, UCI World Champion Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) won an uphill sprint to claim both the day’s victory and the overall lead, also for the first time in his career. It was the first time a reigning UCI World Champion won a stage of the Tour de France since, coincidentally, Mark Cavendish in 2012.
France’s Thibaut Pinot has re-signed with his current team, FDJ, for a further two years. Pinot took third overall in the 2014 Tour de France and claimed a victory on the legendary ascent of Alpe d’Huez in the same race last year.
As of June 26th, Peter Sagan remains the overall leader of the UCI World Ranking, whilst France stays ranked as top nation in the classification. There was no change in the top five of either classification.
The 2016 UCI WorldTour has now completed 13,737 kilometres.
UCI WorldTour: Tour de France continues until Sunday July 24th
Last year's results 1. Chris Froome 2. Nairo Quintana 3. Alejandro Valverde
First introduced in 1975, the Best Young Rider’s Classification or Maillot Blanc [White Jersey] is open to riders aged 25 or under.
The first Best Young Rider was Italy’s Francesco Moser, who finished seventh overall. Four riders have won the yellow and white jerseys in the same year: Laurent Fignon (1983), Jan Ullrich (1997), Alberto Contador (2007) and Andy Schleck (2010).
The only rider to win the Best Young Rider classification and the King of the Mountains classification in the same year was Nairo Quintana in 2013 The Colombian won the classification again last year, placing second overall.
Profressional since 2012, Romain Bardet (25) is a French rider with AG2R La Mondiale. The Grand Tour and stage racing specialist, finished 2nd in the recent Critérium du Dauphiné, and is considered one of the major French contenders for the 2016 Tour de France.
Major results and wins
Stage races
2016: Critérium du Dauphiné, second overall; Tour of Oman, second overall
2015: Tour de France, one stage win and ninth overall; Critérium du Dauphine, one stage win.
2014: Tour de France, sixth overall; Critérium du Dauphiné, fifth overall; Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, fourth overall.
2013: Tour de Beijing, fifth overall.
On the 04th of July we are 31 days away from the 2016 Olympic Games.
[INSTAGRAM ID="https://www.instagram.com/p/BHYrwEphgBB/?tagged=uciwt"]