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Echelons during Tour de France 2019

All-Time Cycling Ranking Countdown: 39 to 25

Our countdown takes us to the best cobblestone riders of all time. 4 Ronde van Vlaanderen record-holders and 1 of Paris-Roubaix cross our path with a well-deserved spot in the top-39 of the King of the Echelon Cycling Ranking.


podium with cups

If you prefer to skip the details behind the rider's points total, you can jump right into the ranking here. But what good is counting down without actually counting points? Don't worry, I did the counting already, but I let you take a look at the rider's achievements below. Only the races on which the King of the Echelon ranking is built, are listed. If you're curious about these and the points schema, you can find out in this blog post.


Please note this is the status on 31 December 2021.


39. Jan RAAS (NED) - 3384pts

World Championship Road Race

1st (1979)

Milano-Sanremo

1st (1977)

3rd (1980, 1983)

Paris-Roubaix

1st (1982)

3rd (1978)

Ronde van Vlaanderen

1st (1979, 1983)

3rd (1980, 1981)

Amstel Gold Race

1st (1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982)

2nd (1976)

3rd (1983)

Gent-Wevelgem

1st (1981)

2nd (1983)

3rd (1979)

Paris-Tours

1st (1978, 1981)

3rd (1979, 1983)

E3 Harelbeke

1st (1979, 1980, 1981)

2nd (1978)

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

1st (1981)

2nd (1977, 1979, 1983)

3rd (1978)

Paris-Bruxelles

1st (1978)

2nd (1981)

Scheldeprijs

3rd (1980)

Tour de France stage wins

1x (1977)

3x (1978)

1x (1979)

3x (1980)

1x (1982)

1x (1984)


38. Davide REBELLIN (ITA) - 3435pts

World Championship Road Race

4th (2008)

Olympic Games Road Race

2nd (2008)

Il Lombardia

2nd (2002)

Liège-Bastogne-Liège

1st (2004)

2nd (2001, 2008)

3rd (2000, 2009)

Paris-Nice

1st (2008)

2nd (2004, 2007)

3rd (2003)

Tirreno-Adriatico

1st (2001)

2nd (1999)

Vuelta al Paìs Vasco

2nd (2005)

3rd (1999)

Amstel Gold Race

1st (2004)

2nd (2007)

Clasica San Sebastian

1st (1997)

3rd (2001, 2004, 2008)

Flèche Wallonne

1st (2004, 2007, 2009)

3rd (2005)

Züri Metzgete

1st (1997)

3rd (2006)

Giro dell'Emilia

1st (2006, 2014)

2nd (2007, 2008)

3rd (2001, 2003)

Giro del Lazio

2nd (2002)

Giro del Veneto

1st (1998, 1999, 2000)

3rd (2001, 2002)

GP Frankfurt

1st (2003)

2nd (2001, 2008)

Milano-Torino

2nd (2003)

Critérium International

2nd (1998)

Giro d'Italia stage wins

1x (1996)


37. Herman VAN SPRINGEL (BEL) - 3445pts

Tour de France

2nd (1968)

Giro d'Italia

2nd (1971)

Vuelta a España

3rd (1970)

World Championship Road Race

2nd (1968)

Il Lombardia

1st (1968)

2nd (1969)

3rd (1973)

Liège-Bastogne-Liège

3rd (1972)

Milano-Sanremo

3rd (1966)

Paris-Roubaix

2nd (1968, 1971)

Critérium du Dauphiné

3rd (1970)

Tour de Suisse

3rd (1968)

Amstel Gold Race

3rd (1973)

Bordeaux-Paris

1st (1970, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981)

2nd (1967, 1976)

3rd (1979)

Gent-Wevelgem

1st (1966)

Züri Metzgete

1st (1971)

E3 Harelbeke

1st (1974)

3rd (1968)

GP Frankfurt

3rd (1968, 1969)

GP des Nations

1st (1969, 1970)

2nd (1968)

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

1st (1968)

Paris-Tours

1st (1969)

Scheldeprijs

2nd (1972)

Semana Catalana

3rd (1973)

Tour de France Points classif.

1st (1973)

Tour de France stage wins

1x (1967)

1x (1968)

2x (1969)

1x (1971)


36. Erik ZABEL (GER) - 3547pts

World Championship Road Race

2nd (2004, 2006)

3rd (2002)

5th (2001)

Milano-Sanremo

1st (1997, 1998, 2000, 2001)

2nd (1999, 2004)

Paris-Roubaix

3rd (2000)

Tirreno-Adriatico

3rd (2004)

Amstel Gold Race

1st (2000)

Cyclassics Hamburg

1st (2001)

2nd (2006)

Paris-Tours

1st (1994, 2003, 2005)

3rd (2001, 2002)

GP Frankfurt

1st (1999, 2002, 2005)

2nd (2003)

Scheldeprijs

1st (1997)

2nd (1999)

4 Jours de Dunkerque

3rd (1995)

Tour de France Points classif.

1st (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)

2nd (2002, 2006)

3rd (2003, 2004, 2007, 2008)

Tour de France stage wins

2x (1995)

2x (1996)

3x (1997)

1x (2000)

3x (2001)

1x (2002)


35. Learco GUERRA (ITA) - 3595pts

Tour de France

2nd (1930, 1933)

Giro d'Italia

1st (1934)

4th (1932, 1935)

World Championship Road Race

1st (1931)

2nd (1930, 1934)

5th (1932)

Il Lombardia

1st (1934)

3rd (1930)

Milano-Sanremo

1st (1933)

2nd (1931, 1935)

Giro del Piemonte

1st (1934)

Tour de France stage wins

3x (1930)

5x (1933)

Giro d'Italia stage wins

2x (1930)

4x (1931)

6x (1932)

3x (1933)

10x (1934)

5x (1935)

1x (1937)


34. Fiorenzo MAGNI (ITA) - 3687pts

Giro d'Italia

1st (1948, 1951, 1955)

2nd (1952, 1956)

World Championship Road Race

2nd (1951)

4th (1947, 1952)

Il Lombardia

2nd (1954)

3rd (1956)

Milano-Sanremo

2nd (1956)

3rd (1949)

Paris-Roubaix

3rd (1950)

Ronde van Vlaanderen

1st (1949, 1950, 1951)

Bordeaux-Paris

3rd (1954)

Giro del Lazio

1st (1951, 1956)

Giro del Piemonte

1st (1942, 1953, 1956)

3rd (1949)

Giro del Veneto

1st (1953)

2nd (1947)

GP des Nations

3rd (1947)

Milano-Torino

1st (1951)

2nd (1954)

Tour de France Points classif.

2nd (1953)

Tour de France stage wins

1x (1949)

1x (1950)

1x (1951)

2x (1952)

2x (1953)

Giro d'Italia stage wins

1x (1948)

1x (1950)

3x (1953)

1x (1955)


33. Tom BOONEN (BEL) - 3687pts

World Championship Road Race

1st (2005)

3rd (2016)

Milano-Sanremo

2nd (2010)

3rd (2007)

Paris-Roubaix

1st (2005, 2008, 2009, 20012)

2nd (2006, 2016)

3rd (2002)

Ronde Van Vlaanderen

1st (2005, 2006, 20012)

2nd (2010)

Gent-Wevelgem

1st (2004, 2011, 2012)

3rd (2003)

Paris-Tours

2nd (2009)

E3 Harelbeke

1st (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2012)

2nd (2009, 2010)

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

2nd (2005, 2012)

3rd (2007, 2015)

Paris-Bruxelles

1st (2012, 2016)

2nd (2006)

3rd (2015)

Scheldeprijs

1st (2004, 2006)

2nd (2008)

Tour de France Points classif.

1st (2007)

Tour de France stage wins

2x (2004)

2x (2005)

2x (2007)

Tom Boonen is arguably the best cobblestone rider of all-time holding a record number of victories at Paris-Roubaix, the Ronde van Vlaanderen and the E3-Hareldbeke. But even this exquisite palmares has a few blind spots. I'm sure he's not losing any sleep over it now, but rest assured; messing up an almost certain victory is always a bitter pill to swallow.


I'm taking you to Paris-Tours 2009. Even though Paris-Tours has lost a lot of its reputation (something I find very deplorable, this should be the 6th Monument), it still is a beautiful name on a rider's palmares. The edition of 2009 is the last one where the best classics riders of the peloton battled for victory: Tom Boonen, Philippe Gilbert, Filippo Pozzato, Greg Van Avermaet and Oscar Freire; they were all in the mix.


After a stunning final Boonen, Gilbert and Borut Bozic sprinted for victory; a race that was Tom Boonen's to lose. Check out the footage below and watch Boonen miscalculate the sprint as Bozic turned out to be fully spent.




32. Franco BITOSSI (ITA) - 3700pts

World Championship Road Race

2nd (1972)

3rd (1977)

4th (1968)

Il Lombardia

1st (1967, 1970)

2nd (1968, 1971)

3rd (1969, 1977)

Milano-Sanremo

3rd (1967)

Tirreno-Adriatico

1st (1967)

Tour de Suisse

1st (1965)

Volta a Catalunya

1st (1970)

2nd (1969)

Züri Metzgete

1st (1965, 1968)

Giro dell'Emilia

1st (1970, 1973)

2nd (1969)

3rd (1965, 1967)

Giro del Lazio

1st (1965)

2nd (1974, 1976)

Giro del Piemonte

2nd (1966)

Giro del Veneto

1st (1970, 1973)

Milano-Torino

1st (1968)

2nd (1967, 1972, 1973, 1976)

3rd (1969, 1978)

Tour de France Points classif.

1st (1968)

Tour de France Mountains classif.

2nd (1968)

Tour de France stage wins

2x (1966)

2x (1968)

Giro d'Italia stage wins

4x (1964)

1x (1965)

2x (1966)

1x (1967)

2x (1968)

2x (1969)

4x (1970)

1x (1971)

3x (1974)

1x (1975)


31. Greg LEMOND (USA) - 3801pts