As we approach the end of the season, the UCI continental circuits are about to be decided. Below you can read how the month of September changed the rankings.

UCI Europe Tour: Edwards Theuns’ lead gets smaller

Belgium’s Edward Theuns (594 points) is still at the top of the UCI Europe Tour but his lead was whittled down last month, which saw 27 events raced on the European circuit. The 24-year-old rider from Topsport Vlaanderen, who has signed with Trek Factory Racing for 2016, shone on September 6th with 8th place at the Grand Prix de Fourmies. However he managed only 12th at the Grand Prix d’Ispergues two weeks later. The event was won by French athlete Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis), who confirms his second place in the UCI Europe Tour, with 585 points.

Belgium’s Dimitri Claeys, 28, (Verandas Willems Cycling Team) gleans points thanks to his second place in the Grand Prix Impanis – Van Petegem (victory for Belgium’s Sean De Bie) on September 19th.  He remains in third place of the UCI Europe Tour with 496.25 points. He is followed closely by Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen (480 points). The 28-year-old rider from MTN-Qhubeka moves up from ninth place thanks to his victory in the eight-day Tour of Great Britain.

Slovenia’s Marko Kump, 27, won the Velothon Stockholm on September 13th and is currently fifth overall with 476 points. Winner of the Coppa Agostoni on September 16th, the Italian veteran Davide Rebellin, 44, (CCC Sprandi Polkowice) shoots up the rankings from 21st to 9th with 354 points. Meanwhile the young Dutch rider Dylan Groenewegen, 22, moves from 59th to 23rd (247 points) after his victory in the Brussels Cycling Classic on September 5th.

In the teams’ classification, the Ukrainian formation Kolss-BDC Team slips to second place (1383.65 points), behind the Belgians from Topsport Vlaanderen – Baloise (1458 points). Bretagne Séché Environnement (France) remain in third place with 1354 points.

Belgium leads the nations’ classification (3048 points) ahead of France (2495.40 points). Italy (2368.30) steals third place from Spain (2047.50 points).

Most of the racing in October will take place in France and Italy.

UCI Asia Tour: Mirsamad Pourseyedigolakhour remains stable

Although he didn’t win any points, Iranian Mirsamad Pourseyedigolakhour, 30, (Tabriz Petrochemichal Team) remains in first place of the UCI Asia Tour with 372 points. He is still capitalizing on his victories in the Tours of Taiwan, Iran and Japan in March, May and June. Fellow Iranian and Asia Champion, Hossein Askari, 40, (Pishgaman Giant Team) holds on to his second place with 301 points. No change either for New Zealand’s Patrick Bevin, 24, (Avanti Racing Team) who remains in third place with 198 points. The only race counting towards this classification did nothing to shake up the positions: the Tour de Hokkaido (September 11-13) was dominated by the Italian Riccardo Stacchiotti and his fellow Italian and team mate Daniele Colli (Nippo-Vini Fantini). Stacchiotti won two of the three stages in the Japanese race (part of the UCI Asia Tour since 2005) which hasn’t seen an Asian winner since 2010 when Japan’s own Miyataka Shimizu claimed victory in front of Japanese, Junya Sano.

The Tour of China, Tour of Singkarak and the Abu Dhabi Tour feature on the programme of the UCI Asia Tour in October.

The two Iranian teams Pishgaman Giant Team (678 points) and Tabriz Petrochemical Team (601 points) are still in the lead of the teams’ classification, well ahead of Slovenia’s Adria Mobil (383 points).

Logically, Iran dominates the nations’ classification with 1337 points, ahead of Kazakhstan (576 points) and Japan (454 points).

UCI Africa Tour: Salaheddine Mraouni holds onto his lead

As is the case in Europe, there is no change in the top three. Morocco’s Salaheddine Mraouni, 23, holds the reins of the UCI Africa Tour with 241 points. He is ahead of Tunisian Rafaa Chtioui, 29, (Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team) who is on 221 points and finished fourth in the individual time trial at the African Games in Brazzaville (Congo Republic) on September 11th. In third place: Morocco’s Essaïd Abelouache, 27, on 210 points.

The African Games in Brazzaville were a major event in September: Janvier Hadi (Rwanda) took gold in the road race, followed by Reynard Butler (South Africa) and Adil Barbari (Algeria). The time trial title went to Meron Teshome Hagos (Eritrea) who was African Champion in the team time trial in 2013 alongside Natnael Berhane and Daniel Teklehaimanot. Silver went to Gustav Basson (South Africa) and bronze to Adil Barbari (Algeria).

Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team leads the teams’ classification with 618 points, followed by Groupement Sportif des Pétroliers Algérie (490 points) and MTN-Qhubeka (471.02 points).

The Algerians continue to dominate the nations’ classification with 1141.80 points. Morocco (1002 points) and South Africa (868.88 points) also hold on to their podium places this month.

UCI America Tour: Toms Skujins takes the lead

Thanks in large part to his seventh place in the final of the Tour d’Alberta (Canada), the Latvian Toms Skujins moves into the lead of the UCI America Tour with 208.40 points. At 24 years old, the rider from Hincapie Racing Team also finished second in The Reading 120 race on September 12th. He now leads the Pan American Champion from Ecuador Bayron Guama de la Cruz (Team Ecuador), 30, who has 198 points. The Canadian Michael Woods, who moved up from 28th to 2nd this summer, slips down to third (179 points) in the UCI America Tour despite a 10th place in the Tour d’Alberta.

Action in America included the Tour de Rio (August 26-30), which went to Gustavo Cesar Veloso (W52-Quinta da Lixa): the 35-year-old Spanish athlete has participated in five editions of the Vuelta a Espagna and one Giro d’Italia between 2007 and 2012. He beat the Brazilians Kléber da Silva (2nd) and Alex Diniz (3rd) in Rio.

The other event on the calendar, the Tour d’Alberta, was won by Dutch rider Bauke Mollema (Trek Factory Racing). The six stages were dominated by the rider from the UCI WorldTour team. Worthy of note was the fifth place overall for the young 22-year-old New Zealander Dion Smith (Hincapie Racing Team).

Michael Woods helps his American team Optum P/B Kelly Benefit Strategies hold onto its lead in the teams’ classification (489 points), in front of the Brazilians Funvic-Sao Jose Dos Campos (401 points) and hard on their heels with 400 points, another American team Hincapie Racing Team.

Colombia still dominates the nations’ classification (874.95 points) ahead of Canada (845 points) and Argentina (758 points). The USA (687 points) overtakes Venezuela (663 points) to move into fourth place.

UCI Oceania Tour: no changes in off-season

No races took place in Oceania last month, so the podium 100% Kiwi remains unchanged: Taylor Karl Gunman, 24, (152 points) in front of Patrick Bevin, 24, (135 points) and Joseph Cooper, 30, (100 points). All three are members of Avanti Racing Team which is comfortably in the lead of the teams’ classification (546 points), followed by the Australian team Drapac Professional Cycling (155 points) and Team Budget Forklifts (142 points).

New Zealand (1175.40 points) leads Australia (652.50 points) in the nations’ classification.