In 2009 a number of prominent riders returned to professional cycling. Ivan Basso, Floyd Landis and Michele Scarponi had finished a suspension. Bjorn Leukemans was without a team for over a year due to doping-related allegations, which were proven to be ungrounded. Most notably, seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong returned after a three-and-half year break, starting his season as a Astana-rider in the Tour Down Under.
The teams Gerolsteiner and Saunier Duval–Scott, both who were connected to some major doping cases in 2008, saw their title sponsors drop out. The Spanish squad found a new sponsor in Fuji Bikes and was granted another ProTour license as Fuji–Servetto. However, race organizer ASO did not invite the team for their races, and they did not participate in the Tour de France. New teams in the ProTour are Garmin–Slipstream from the United States and Team Katusha (built from the former Tinkoff Credit Systems) from Russia. One notable new Pro Continental team, started from scratch, is the Cervélo TestTeam, which managed to sign 2008 Tour de France-winner Carlos Sastre and Norwegian sprinter Thor Hushovd. Like another new Pro Continental team, Vacansoleil from the Netherlands, Katusha and Cervélo immediately proved successful in the early months of the season.
This year's World Championships will be held in Mendrisio, Switzerland.
The UCI ProTour ranking, which was heavily devalued in 2008 due to the withdrawal from the ProTour by the three Grand Tour organizers, was replaced by the UCI World Ranking, based on a new World Calendar - effectively combining the existing 14 ProTour races with the Monuments and Grand Tours that are currently organized as "Historic" races.
World championships
editThe World Road championships were held in Mendrisio, Switzerland.
| Race | Date | Winner | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Championship Road Race | Sep 26 |  Cadel Evans (AUS)
|
 Alexandr Kolobnev (RUS)
|
 Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP)
|
| World Championship Time Trial | Sep 23 |  Fabian Cancellara (SUI)
|
 Gustav Larsson (SWE)
|
 Tony Martin (GER)
|
Grand Tours
edit| Race | Date | Winner | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Giro d'Italia
|
May 9 - May 31 | Denis Menchov (RUS)
|
Danilo Di Luca (ITA)
|
Franco Pellizotti (ITA)
|
 Tour de France
|
Jul 4 - Jul 26 | Alberto Contador (ESP)
|
 Andy Schleck (LUX)
|
 Lance Armstrong (USA)
|
| Vuelta a España
|
Aug 29 - Sep 20 | Alejandro Valverde (ESP)
|
Samuel Sánchez (ESP)
|
Cadel Evans (AUS)
|
UCI ProTour
edit
Other World Calendar events
editThese races contribute, along with the Grand Tours and the UCI ProTour races, towards the 2009 UCI World Ranking
| Race | Date | Winner | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris–Nice
|
Mar 9 - Mar 16 | Luis León Sánchez (ESP)
|
Fränk Schleck (LUX)
|
Sylvain Chavanel (FRA)
|
| Tirreno–Adriatico
|
Mar 11 - Mar 17 | Michele Scarponi (ITA)
|
Stefano Garzelli (ITA)
|
Andreas Klöden (GER)
|
| Milan – San Remo
|
Mar 21 |  Mark Cavendish (GBR)
|
Heinrich Haussler (GER)
|
 Thor Hushovd (NOR)
|
| Paris–Roubaix
|
Apr 12 |  Tom Boonen (BEL)
|
Filippo Pozzato (ITA)
|
Thor Hushovd (NOR)
|
| La Flèche Wallonne
|
Apr 22 | Davide Rebellin (ITA)
|
Andy Schleck (LUX)
|
Damiano Cunego (ITA)
|
| Liège–Bastogne–Liège
|
Apr 26 | Andy Schleck (LUX)
|
Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP)
|
Davide Rebellin (ITA)
|
| Giro di Lombardia
|
Oct 17 | Philippe Gilbert (BEL)
|
Samuel Sánchez (ESP)
|
Alexandr Kolobnev (RUS)
|
2.HC Category Races
editThe prefix 2 indicates that these events are stage races.
1.HC Category Races
editThe prefix 1 indicates that these events are one-day races.
