Tim DeClercq (Deceuninck-Quickstep) was voted the best domestique in the world by his fellow pro riders.

Along with a Twitter reader poll announced on Saturday, all WorldTour pro riders were asked to vote in a separate survey during Cycling News' "Domestique Week".

They were asked not only to choose the best helper on their team, but also to anonymously name the best domestique in the entire peloton.

Declercq, known as "El Tractor" because he has a diesel engine and likes to "pull" the peloton, came out on top with a whopping 17% of the vote. The two-meter-tall Belgian began his professional career with Topsport Vlaanderen, but since joining Quick Step in 2017, he has emerged as a tireless and consistent helper, winning Milan-St. Remo, Tour de Flanders, and Paris-Roubaix, He has contributed to stage victories at the Tour de France and Vuelta a España.

De Clercq and Team Ineos' Luke Rowe have distinguished themselves with their Classics leadership and ability to protect Ineos stage racers on the flat, in crosswinds, and in the mountains.

Rowe was voted best domestique by about 16% of the participating racers and overtook De Klerk several times before the Belgian pulled away at the end.

In fact, had each vote been taken at face value, Rowe would have won hands down. As it turned out, it was clear that the Ineos camp was trying to move the vote in the second half.

Shortly after contacting the team to request an estimate of what would have happened if Lowe had won, 23 votes for the Welshman were received in rapid succession. All respondents named Rowe as the best domestique, both on and off the team, so the votes were declared invalid.

Had these votes been counted, Lowe would have received almost 30% of the votes. There were instances of such tactical voting in favor of de Klerk, which were likewise declared invalid.

The best rider behind DeKlerk and Lowe was Michael Morkoff, the lead-out man for DeTuning Quickstep. The Dane, with his track skills and ability to calmly cut through a chaotic sprint finish, received 7.5% of the vote.

Andrei Amador was the runner-up with 6 percent. Amador, a native of Costa Rica who has been with Ineos since the beginning of the year, made his name in Movistar by leading Richard Carapas to victory in last year's Giro d'Italia. Despite leaving the Spanish team in controversial fashion after a bitter contractual dispute, he still garnered many votes from his former teammates.

Imanol Elviti was almost unanimously voted Movistar's Best Domestique, receiving 4% of the public vote. Iljo Keisse of Detunink Quickstep received just under 4% of the vote.

Fifty other names were also mentioned, with many riders receiving a small share.

We asked the riders to name the best domestiques on their own teams. We excluded teams that did not want to be included in this ranking or that did not provide enough responses to build a clear picture.

AG2R La Mondiale: Julien Duval

Bahrain McLaren: Damiano Caruso

CCC Team: Michal Schaal

Deceuninck-QuickStep: Tim Deklerk [35

EF Pro Cycling Tom Scully

Team Ineos Luke Lowe

Israel Startup Nation Alex Dowsett/Guillaume Boivin (Thailand)

Jumbo Visma: Tony Martin

Lot Soudal: Nicholas Maes

Movistar Imanol Elviti

NTT Pro Cycling Michael Gogle / Jay Thomson

Trek Segafredo Kiel Leinen / Alex Kirsch [51]