New UCI Country Rankings, U.S. up to fourth

The UCI issued the latest country rankings today. The U.S. women are up to fourth. Why do we care about this? The top five countries send four riders to the Olympic Games instead of three.

The recent win from Evie Stevens at Flèche Wallonne, a second place from Kristin Armstrong at the Ronde, and a string of consistent placings from Megan Guarnier have helped the U.S. climb up the rankings. The rolling points system means that Amber Neben carries the bulk of the U.S. points. Check out the rider points here.

The U.K. moved up to fifth. Emma Pooley and Lizzie Armitstead have brought the U.K. the bulk of their points. Sweden dropped from fourth to sixth. Emma Johansson has had a slower start to the season than usual, thanks to a training accident, and she is Sweden’s top ranked rider.

The Netherlands, Germany, and Italy sit securely in the top three. Marianne Vos and Judith Arndt are the big riders for the Netherlands and Germany, while Italy relies on the awesome threesome of Giorgia Bronzini, Tatiana Guderzo, and Noemi Cantele.

Should the U.S. hold its top five position, it should mean considerably less Drama for the team selection process. Evie Stevens, Kristin Armstrong, Amber Neben, and Megan Guarnier have the top international results, presently.