How has the new points system affected the UCI Rankings?

I won't bore you with a full analysis of the differences between the old and new system. In summary, greater weighting is given to WorldTour races, and monuments are differentiated from other one day WorldTour races. It's still not particularly fair, given winning a Class 1 stage race is awarded  the same number of points as winning a Class 1 one day race (as highlighted recently by the winner of Per Sempre Alfredo being awarded the same number of points as the winner of Coppi e Bartali), but we are getting there.

As we are now three months into the season, and three months into a new points system, its effects are starting to play out.

Teams with greater squad depth are benefiting the most, since the points of an additional 10 riders are now counted towards to the overall score. It is this factor that is making the difference at the top, as UAE's 'extra 10' have scored 851.73 more points than Jumbo-Visma's. Here's a full comparison between the old and new systems...

'Extra points' haven't just been gained by an additional 10 riders, though. The new system is more rewarding in WorldTour stage races for example, with the top 10 places all awarded points compared to the top 5 under the old system.

BORA, EF, UAE, Astana, Arkéa–Samsic and AG2R have all generated over 30% more points due to the new system. As more points are awarded to positions lower down WorldTour one day races, challenging for every single position will become increasingly crucial as the relegation battle intensifies. In the lower positions of the recent classics, I have already noticed Arkéa–Samsic adopting this tactic. Relegation rivals should follow suit if they want to avoid ending up in a similar position to (what was) Lotto-Soudal at the start of the 2022 season.

Last year, teams complained about the impact of COVID and a lack of awareness about the points system. This time around, there can be no excuses. Teams targeting points should register for more smaller one day races, as they disproportionately positively impact the points tally. Thus far, Jayco is the only team towards the bottom not adopting this tactic. Consequently, the reliance on WorldTour races increases, as the graphs below illustrate.

If the parameters of the last cycle are anything to go by, these are worrying signs for Jayco-AlUla, given they are heavily reliant on highly competitive races. Time will tell the best approach.