To put a numeric value to the quality of the riders at the start of a race, we have devised the PCS startlist quality scale. With this scale it is possible to compare races within a season, but also with historical races. Here is how it works.
At the start of a race, we take the positions of all starting riders in the PCS ranking computed on the Sunday preceding the race. Instead of taking the points in the ranking, we take a substitute value based on the position of the rider in the ranking. If a rider is within the top-10 of the PCS ranking, a value of 50 is awarded. Is the rider in the top-25 a value of 35 points is awarded. This goes on for all riders in the top-1000 according to the values in the following table.
At the start of a race, we take the positions of all starting riders in the PCS ranking computed on the Sunday preceding the race. Instead of taking the points in the ranking, we take a substitute value based on the position of the rider in the ranking. If a rider is within the top-10 of the PCS ranking, a value of 50 is awarded. Is the rider in the top-25 a value of 35 points is awarded. This goes on for all riders in the top-1000 according to the values in the following table.
Point scale
| Top-N | Points |
|---|---|
| Top-10 | 50 |
| Top-25 | 35 |
| Top-50 | 20 |
| Top-100 | 10 |
| Top-200 | 5 |
| Top-500 | 2 |
| Top-1000 | 1 |
| >1000 | 0 |
Computing the startlist quality this way assures that the quality value can be compared over time between races and seasons. Because the amount of points in the PCS ranking can vary between seasons (some seasons have more races than others), the number of riders in the top-1000 of the PCS ranking is always 1000.
The theoretical maximum startlist quality when there are 150 riders at the start is 2275 points. In this case the 150 riders should all be within the top-200 of the PCS ranking, which never happened. The maximum startlist quality in the Tour de France was 1959 points in 1991.
The theoretical maximum startlist quality when there are 150 riders at the start is 2275 points. In this case the 150 riders should all be within the top-200 of the PCS ranking, which never happened. The maximum startlist quality in the Tour de France was 1959 points in 1991.
Startlist quality statistics for grand tours, monuments and World championships
| Race | 5-year average | Maximum startlist quality |
|---|---|---|
| Tour de France | 1628 | 2047 (1992) |
| World Championships ME - Road Race | 1195 | 1794 (1991) |
| Liège-Bastogne-Liège | 1041 | 1328 (1999) |
| Milano-Sanremo | 1032 | 1723 (1992) |
| Il Lombardia | 963 | 1256 (2013) |
| La Vuelta ciclista a España | 865 | 1342 (1999) |
| Giro d'Italia | 840 | 1365 (1995) |
| Ronde van Vlaanderen - Tour des Flandres ME | 831 | 1186 (1967) |
| Paris-Roubaix | 643 | 1140 (1961) |