PHOTO BY BALINT HAMVAS | CYCLEPHOTOS.CO.UK
1. Sven Nys (1)Â – Remember that time a couple seasons ago when people were wondering if Sven Nys’s career was on its way down? Yeah. About that. Even Phillipe Gilbert could take How to Dominate lessons from Nys.
2. Niels Albert (nr)Â – Niels Albert’s apparently been a busy, hardworking racer while he was out with a broken wrist. He returns to competition with two hard-fought second places.Â
3. Klaas Vantornout (5)Â – Vantornout’s gutsy ride in the mud at Namur is good for a bump in the Power Rankings. He’s capable of great results but is still waiting for that big win this season.
4. Tom Meeusen (3) – Eager Tom Meeusen might be slipping  a little bit. He races himself into imprecise riding when he’s at the front and though he’s shown an ability to be competitive, hasn’t yet shown an ability to defeat his compatriots.Â
5. Kevin Pauwels (4) – K-Pau is on his way down and it’s hard to hide that fact. Another lackluster weekend for him and his November dominance starts to look like a well-timed peak rather than him being indomitable.Â
6. Rob Peeters (6)Â – Peeters keeps riding solidly and respectably, though his third place in Essen might have cost him the following day in Namur.Â
7. Bart Wellens (nr)Â – Where’ve you been, Bartje?! We loved seeing the two-time World Champion win at Essen after struggling all season – nay, for years. It was a dream come true, and his outpouring of emotion across the finish line was a sight to see.Â
8. Zdenek Stybar (7)Â – Stybar’s season is looking more and more like a wash. With only one high-profile victory and difficulties staying at the front of the race in the last fifteen minutes, it looks like his week off two weeks ago didn’t help him out enough.Â
9. Francis Mourey (9)Â – As usual, Mourey rides to a respectable World Cup finish.Â
10. Bart Aernouts (2)Â – After a spell of podium finishes, Aernouts has a tough weekend and drops mightily down the rankings.Â
Dropped this week: Dieter Vanthorenhout, Radomir Simunek