CyclistEvery mens UCI WorldTour race ranked: From the Tour de France to the Tour Down UnderThe UCI WorldTour is the top tier of professional cycling. In the mens calendar, there are 35 races on the UCI WorldTour level as of 2024. For the womens, there are 27. These vary from the Tour de France all the way down to the Tour of Guangxi in China. The mens WorldTour race line-up has changed a lot through the years (we miss you, Tour of California). However, the WorldTour is the closest cycling comes to having its own Premier League at least until Saudi Arabia takes over.As fans of cycling, we enjoy a bit of competition. Why not take this to an extreme and pit the competitions themselves against one another? Ranking WorldTour races is like comparing apples and pears. Every mens WorldTour race has its own vibe, of course, and these will play into the ranking on this list. On top of this, the route, prestige and recent race results will also influence the outcome of this highly subjective (and illustrious) classification. Above all, its all just a bit of fun and not meant to be taken too seriously. Related Posts Opinion: Mens cycling has never been more bleak for fans Every Tadej Pogaar Monument performance ranked Every Mathieu van der Poel Monument performance ranked Giro dItalia 2024: Route, how to watch, start list and everything you need to know Mens Tour de France 2024 route announced: What will riders face on the road from Florence to Nice? Tim de Waele/Getty ImagesThe Lower Rankings34. Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road RaceI dont believe in the mentality of build it and they will come.33. Tour of GuangxiHave you ever watched a stage of this race? I dare you to name any GC winner.32. Tour Down UnderAs a European, I am not nocturnal enough to watch this.31. Eschborn FrankfurtIts nice that Germany has a WorldTour race, but lets try and do better.Peter Mundy/Getty Images30. BEMER CyclassicsSee above.29. Tour de SuisseHold a race concurrently with the Dauphin at your own peril.28. Volta Ciclista a CatalunyaMarch has better stage races.27. UAE TourPros: Jebel Hafeet. Cons: hours of sandy helicopter shots, excessive sprint stages and a host nation with a poor human rights record. Wait, maybe I should revise this ranking.Tim de Waele/Getty Images26. Classic Brugge De PanneI miss the old 3 days we used to get. Now its just a flash in De Panne.25. Itzulia Basque CountryIts hard to stand out during the meaty Classics week. This race tries, but it doesnt have enough bite to it.24. La Flche WallonneThe Mur de Huy is decent, I guess.23. Gent-WevelgemA glorified sprinters Classic under the guise of a cobbled affair? No, thank you.Luc Claessen/Getty Images22. Tour de RomandieNo one is going to take you seriously if Ethan Hayter is poaching bunch sprints year-on-year.21. Vuelta a EspaaThis Grand Tour is an afterthought. As much as I admire Primo Rogli, thats not enough to salvage some places on the list.20. Donostia San Sebastian KlasikoaThe ol Tony Gallopin exhibition race. The Klasikoa serves up some much-needed one-day action in the summertime.19. Giro di LombardiaYikes, the race of the falling leaves is a chore to get through. Its only in the top 20 because of its Monument status.A.S.O./Maxime Delobel18. Lige-Bastogne-LigeBy this point in the year, Im tired of spending my Sunday afternoons watching Benelux countryside.17. Tirreno-AdriaticoThe only race where the trophy is a big barbecue fork. A solid week-long stage race with plenty of spice. Tirreno should end with a time-trial though.16. E3 Saxo ClassicHomophobic tweets and sexist posters aside, E3 is usually a good race. However, it feels all too much like a bootleg Tour of Flanders. The race also finishes on a new-build housing estate, which takes away from the oomph of the Classics magic.15. Dwaars door VlaanderenThe forgotten child of the Flemish Classics, Dwaars door Vlaanderen which literally translates to All Around Flanders (terrible name) feels like a tray of Flemish canaps. Serving wind, cobbles, bad weather and grinta in spades, this one-day race is the bohemian alternative to the Ronde.Jasper Jacobs/Belga Mag/AFP via Getty Images14. Omloop Het NieuwsbladOh boy, this one is a humdinger. The real start to the Classics.13. Critrium du DauphinIf you like the Alps, youre going to love the Dauphin. Slotted right before the Tour, the Dauphin is the last chance for the yellow jersey contenders to shine and narrow their odds of Tour glory. Ill be honest, however, the Dauphin is more often than not an omen of domination to come.12. Paris-NiceThe mini Tour de France, Paris-Nice oozes class. Serving as the real season opener, Paris-Nice is a stage race that offers it all.The final stage around Nice promises nothing but action all the way to the finish.11. Bretagne Classic Ouest-FranceI will fight tooth and nail for this races WorldTour status. Expect the unexpected in Brittany. The rolling profile makes for a fierce race that only a primary school paper fortune teller could predict.10. Milan-San RemoMarco Bertorello/AFP via GettyNow were talking. Milan-San Remo guarantees, and I mean guarantees, the wildest 20 minutes of cycling youll watch on the calendar. The relentless, and sometimes desperate, attacks both on and off the Poggio make for fascinating racing as everyone tries to win the toughest race to predict on the cycling calendar. Whether youre a sprinter, Grand Tour champion or punchy wildcard, you have a chance of taking La Classicissima.9. Amstel Gold RaceVincent Kalut/Getty ImagesOh Amstel, how we love you so dearly. Overshadowed by its Monument brothers and sisters, Amstel Gold is a precious day in the cycling calendar. Looking past the obvious 2019 case study, Amstel has dished up some stellar editions over the years, from the epic Van Aert-Pidcock-Schachmann skirmish to Gasparottos throwback in 2016, Amstel Gold is the GOAT of the Ardennes.8. Tour de PologneDario Belingheri/Getty ImagesControversial, I know, but the Tour of Poland is a cult classic. The Polish race is an underdog sandwiched between Grand Tour titans. The sun-drenched golden hour broadcasts during the long August afternoons may hold a special place in my heart, but this race is overlooked for no good reason. With rolling profiles and sprints galore, the Tour of Poland is a rogue race to predict, filled with twists and turns.I would also like to take this opportunity to shun the appropriation of the French language for races that do not take part in France, and most likely never will.7. Grands Prixs Cycliste de Qubec*Dario Belingheri/Getty ImagesBroadcast at night in Europe, the Qubec races are the perfect build-up to the World Championships. They also make for great tea-time viewing and could be considered the only race socially acceptable to have a beer while watching on TV. Hills, sprints, whatever these Canadian classics are worthy of the name.Plus, they are the only North American racing we get nowadays at the WorldTour level. Beggars cant be choosers. *The Montral and Qubec races have been grouped into one position. They are the same, and you cant tell me otherwise.6. Tour de FranceBernard Papon/Pool/GodingImagesI mean, I cant place this outside of the top ten in all reality. The Tour de France is cycling. We get all the narratives, protagonists and attention that we could possibly want from the sport. In recent years, the compelling battle between Vingegaard and Pogaar has made for a spellbinding spectacle. Turn the clock back to the 2010s and the Tour de France was more of a chore.5. Paris-RoubaixJames York/Matt GraysonThis was always destined to make it into the top five. Plainly, it would be disrespectful to commit treason against the Queen of the Classics name. You already know her well, theres no need to elaborate any further.4. Giro dItaliaTim de Waele/Getty ImagesLets conveniently forget the underwhelming Giri of the 2020s and remember the golden era of this Grand Tour. The Giro is [usually] a fabulous feast of all the things we crave from a Grand Tour. Set against the backdrop of Italys sociocultural and geographical mosaic, the Corsa Rosa guarantees three weeks of unparalleled joy. Besides, the pink jersey is a wonderfully unique leaders jersey. You could even say that the maglia rosa has been fighting toxic masculinity since 1931.3. Renewi TourBas Czerwinski/Getty ImagesCalm down, calm down let me explain this. The Renewi Tour is an underappreciated force within the WorldTour calendar. I dare to call it the Aston Villa of the WorldTour. Taking place in the cultural heartland of cycling, the EnecoBinckBankno, I mean, Renewi Tour holds a special place in all our hearts. The race is a week-long Classic. Ardennes, cobbles, time-trials and sprints, its the Grand Tour for those scared of heights. The summertime schedule also means that we get to see cycling in Belgium under clear bright skies (or so we think). Bonus points are also levied by the innovative golden kilometre. If you dont know what that is, Google it.2. Strade BiancheDavid PowellGravel is a fad, but Strade Bianche is a lifestyle. This race is a phenomenon and unrivalled in the cycling calendar. Standing out as a gravel one-day race through beautiful Tuscany, Strade Bianche has become one of modern cyclings great races. The final climb into Siena only adds to its legend, with the biblical gradients, otherworldly sprints and historic photographs captured on the iconic Via Santa Catarina.The prodig of the cycling calendar, Strade Bianche has become a headline act in the cycling zeitgeist within a decade. Bravo!1. Tour of FlandersGruberimagesTaking the top spot, its the old reliable Tour of Flanders. The Ronde van Vlaanderen to give it its birth name is the real queen of the Classics. Screw it, its the supreme leader, dictator, American president of the Classics.Cobble kickers, beer tents, rabid fans and passion, the Tour of Flanders is a spectacle in its own right.The snooze button is rarely touched during the race. It promises fireworks, whether that be on the Kapelmuur or the Paterberg. Sprinkle in the mystique of having the pros walk up the hardest climbs and you have a mythical race on your hands. This is the big cheese or should I say big kaas of the Classics calendar. Paris-Roubaix is your frail Granny you have to love unconditionally, whereas Flanders is the fun Grandpa who took you out on his boat.Stay tuned for the Womens WorldTour ranking next week. Related Posts Opinion: Mens cycling has never been more bleak for fans Every Tadej Pogaar Monument performance ranked Every Mathieu van der Poel Monument performance ranked Giro dItalia 2024: Route, how to watch, start list and everything you need to know Mens Tour de France 2024 route announced: What will riders face on the road from Florence to Nice? The post Every mens UCI WorldTour race ranked: From the Tour de France to the Tour Down Under appeared first on Cyclist.