It's often a tough task to tell at a glance which teams are doing well at the Tour de France, there are 22 of them going around France, each with their own objectives and strengths.
To keep an eye on how each team is progressing, Cycling Central is running the Zwift Power Rankings during the Tour de France. It's a quick guide from stage to stage of which teams are excelling and which are unlucky or faring poorly.
Rankings are calculated according to a matrix of stage results, jersey standings and a team's ability to race with panache and flair.
1. Deceuninck-Quickstep (same)
Julian Alaphilippe brought out the epic pain face to withstand the onslaught on the Prat d'Albis finishing one minute and 16 seconds behind stage runner-up Thibaut Pinot. He also lost 27 seconds to Geraint Thomas and Steven Kruijswijk.
He holds on to the yellow jersey with a one minute and 35 second buffer over Thomas as the curtain slowly draws on his time in yellow. Expect him to crack big time in the Alps. Until then, he and Deceuninck-Quickstep sit atop the Power Rankings before someone else gets to pour champagne into the plastic glasses on the processional stage into Paris. Meanwhile, Enric Mas dropped to 26th on GC, which possibly came as a cost to keep the team bus window in plushy lions.
Best Results:
Stage 2 - 3rd (TTT)
Stage 3 - 1st (Julian Alaphilippe)
Stage 4 - 1st (Elia Viviani)
Stage 8 - 3rd (Julian Alaphilippe)
Stage 10 - 2nd (Elia Viviani)
Stage 11 - 3rd (Elia Viviani)
Stage 13 - 1st (Julian Alaphilippe)
Stage 14 - 2nd (Julian Alaphilippe)
Current overall and other results:
Yellow jersey - 11 trips to the podium (Julian Alaphilippe)
White jersey - 1 trip to the podium (Enric Mas - Stage 13)
1st overall - Julian Alaphilippe
26th overall - Enric Mas
2. Jumbo-Visma (same)
Steven Kruijswijk stuck to Geraint Thomas like white on rice on the summit finish, elsewhere Jumbo-Visma again seemed to win the numbers game compared to the maroon metronomes of old. If Alaphilippe relinquishes yellow, the Dutchman still needs to find 12 seconds somewhere to overcome Thomas, as Pinot looms three seconds in the shade.
Best Results:
Stage 1 - 1st (Mike Teunissen)
Stage 2 - 1st (TTT)
Stage 7 - 1st (Dylan Groenewegen)
Stage 10 - 1st (Wout van Aert)
Stage 14 - 3rd (Steven Kruijswijk)
Current overall and other results:
Yellow jersey - 2 stages
3rd overall - Steven Kruijswijk
3. Soudal Lotto (same)
Tim Wellens didn't make the move today after yesterday conquering the Col du Soulor but still held on to his KOM lead.
Meanwhile, Soudal Lotto did a great job tending to their pocket rocket, hoping he'll shine in Nime and the Champs.
Perhaps we should have Ineos and FDJ higher with their leaders' positions on GC but Wellens' continuing in the polka dot jersey plus the two stage wins is enough.
Best Results:
Stage 1 - 3rd (Caleb Ewan)
Stage 4 - 3rd (Caleb Ewan)
Stage 7 - 2nd (Caleb Ewan)
Stage 8 - 1st (Thomas de Gendt)
Stage 9 - 2nd (Tiesj Benoot)
Stage 11- 1st (Caleb Ewan)
Stage 13- 3rd (Thomas de Gendt)
Current overall and other results:
Polka dot jersey - 13 trips to the podium (Tim Wellens)
4. Mitchelton-Scott (up three)
Simon Yates said this victory was harder than his maiden Tour win on Stage 12. That's why the team moves up to this spot despite brother Adam slipping so far down the general classification. A stage win is difficult to grab at the Tour de France. But two? And three for the team? Up you go.
Best Results:
Stage 5 - 3rd (Matteo Trentin)
Stage 9 - 1st (Daryl Impey)
Stage 12 - 1st (Simon Yates)
Stage 15 - 1st (Simon Yates)
Current overall and other results:
24th overall - Adam Yates
5. Groupama-FDJ (up one)
A Tourmalet stage win, runner-up on another Pyrenean peak and improving your place on GC two positions by a whopping one minute and 22 seconds in just one stage and Pinot and Groupama FDJ sit ahead of some of the rest.
The team also sent Rudy Molard and Sébastien Reichenbach up the road and played it smart with a strong David Gaudu backing up after his dogged assistance on the Tourmalet.
If Alaphilippe bows out, the farmer only needs to find 16 seconds to defeat G.
Best Results:
Stage 8 - 2nd (Thibaut Pinot)
Stage 14 - 1st (Thibaut Pinot)
Stage 15 - 1st (Thibaut Pinot)
Current overall and other results:
4th overall - Thibaut Pinot
6. Team Ineos (down two)
A better day for the Welshman, joking with a reporter or two despite nearly being mangled by the increasingly aggressive media scrum beyond the mixed zone. But he still couldn't shake Kruijswijk or Jumbo-Visma's strength.
Pinot leapfrogged Bernal on GC with his daring attack but the Colombian increased his lead to 12 minutes and 29 seconds in the white jersey competition.
Best Results:
Stage 2 - 2nd (TTT)
Stage 6 - 4th (Geraint Thomas)
Stage 13- 2nd (Geraint Thomas)
Stage 14- 5nd (Egan Bernal)
Current overall and other results:
White - 5 trips to the podium (Egan Bernal)
2nd overall - Geraint Thomas
5th overall - Egan Bernal
7. BORA-hansgrohe (down two)
Emanuel Buchmann finished a strong fourth with Egan Bernal today but slipped a spot on GC. Personally, we'd move the team up purely based on this, but we're trying to keep some semblance of fairness in these rankings:
Best Results:
Stage 1 - 2nd (Peter Sagan)
Stage 5 - 1st (Peter Sagan)
Stage 7 - 3rd (Peter Sagan)
Stage 14 - 4th (Emanuel Buchmann)
Stage 15-- 4th (Emanuel Buchmann)
Current overall and other results:
Green jersey - 13 trips to the podium (Peter Sagan)
6th overall - Emanuel Buchmann
8. Bahrain Merida (down one)
Still here because of the stage win. Plus, Vincenzo Nibali displayed some flair again in the break with Damiano Caruso and Jan Tratnik joining him for some of the ride.
Best Results:
Stage 5 - 4th (Sonny Colbrelli)
Stage 6 - 1st (Dylan Teuns)
Stage 7 - 4th (Sonny Colbrelli)
Stage 9 - 3rd (Jan Tratnik)
9. Movistar (up two)
Rewarding Movistar for Mikel Landa aggressively attacking the stage, finishing third, moving to 7th overall (from 11th) and claiming the combativity award.
But just because Movistar took the lead in the teams classification does not mean they rode smart today or yesterday. The riders worked hard again for what exactly? The right to wear yellow helmets? And/or to move Landa to 7th AND still four minutes and 54 seconds in arrears? Could Landa peg this time back in the Alps and somehow podium? *insert thinking face emoji*
Best Results:
Stage 15 - 3rd (Mikel Landa)
Current overall and other results:
Mikel Landa - 7th overall
Alejandro Valverde 9th overall
Without stage wins and/or stronger placings on GC, the remaining teams will be ranked based on any podium prizes, breakaways and/or best stage placings:
10. Trek-Segafredo (up two)
A better day for Richie riding with flair to finish just one minute and 30 seconds behind Yates and moving back up to 11th on GC.
Best Results:
Stage 3 - 3rd (Jasper Stuyven)
Stage 6 - 2nd (Giulio Ciccone)
Stage 13 -5th (Richie Porte)
Current overall and other results:
Yellow jersey - 2 trips to the podium (Giulio Ciccone)
11th overall - Richie Porte
11. Astana (down one)
Jakob Fuglsang minimised the damage slipping just one spot to 9th.
Best Results:
Stage 6 - 9th (Jakob Fuglsang)
Stage 12 - 2nd (Pello Bilbao)
Current overall and other results:
9th overall - Jakob Fuglsang
12. EF Education First (down three)
Wasn't a great ride by Uran finishing the stage 20th and almost three minutes down and slipping three spots on GC.
Current overall and other results:
Rigoberto Uran - 10th overall
13. Team Arkea-Samsic (up nine)
Warren Barguil continues to plug away, enjoying his better form. His ride moved him one more place up the GC.
Current overall and other results:
Combative prize - 1 trip to the podium (Elie Gesbert - Stage 14)
12th overall - Warren Barguil
14. Dimension Data (up eight)
Without awards, higher stage placings or attacking too much in breakways and the like, Roman Kreuziger slowly moving up the GC didn't really rate a higher place here. But he's now 14th overall and deserves some attention.
Current overall and other results:
14th overall - Roman Kreuziger
15. UAE Team Emirates (down one)
Dan Martin got in the break today and rode back up the GC one spot to 15th overall. Fabio Aru too rates a mention, jumping three spots overall to 17th when earlier this year he had angioplasty.
Best Results:
Stage 4 - 2nd (Alexander Kristoff)
Current overall and other results:
15th overall - Dan Martin
20th overall - Fabio Aru
16. Wanty Groupe Gobert (up one)
After he was in the break yesterday, Guillame Martin moved up five places on GC to 16th after his ride today. He's a rider to watch.
Best Results:
Stage 6 - 3rd (Xandro Meurisse)
Current overall and other results:
Combativity - 1 trip to the podium (Aime de Gendt - Stage 11)
16th overall - Guillame Martin
17.Team Sunweb (down one)
Lennard Kamna, Michael Matthews and Nico Roche in the break for Sunweb today. Kamna’s sixth place on the stage shows this team is capable of so much more.
Stage 2 - 4th (TTT)
Stage 3 - 2nd (Michael Matthews)
18. AG2R-La Mondiale (up two)
Romain Bardet got in the break (with team mates Matthias Frank and Tony Gallopin) and finished 18th moving him up from 26th overall yesterday to 19th. A huge improvement after his dreadful day yesterday and showed some real heart.
Best Results:
Stage 9 - 4th (Oliver Naesen)
Stage 12 - 7th (Oliver Naesen)
Current overall and other results:
19th overall - Romain Bardet
19. CCC (down three)
Simon Geschke got in the break and hung on until the final nine kilometres.
Current overall and other results:
Polka dots jersey - 2 trips to the podium for GvA to get the KOM jersey.
20. Cofidis (down two)
Jesus Herrada, Pierre-Luc Périchon and Anthony Perez in the break.
Current overall and other results:
Combativity - 1 trip to the podium (Natnael Berhane - Stage 10)
21. Katusha-Alpecin (same)
Today's stars there for Katusha in the break was Ilnur Zakarin again and Nils Pollit.
22. Total Direct Energie (down one)
Romain Sicard again in the break.
