Many cycling fans might think that Jumbo-Visma is the best team in the world. After all, the Dutch team led by Richard Plugge had a phenomenal season and was the first team to win all Grand Tours in one year. However, according to the UCI, the UAE Team Emirates is the best cycling team in the world.
The ranking is assessed based on the results of the top 20 cyclists per team. The 20 cyclists from the United Arab Emirates team performed better than their Jumbo-Visma counterparts. Furthermore, Tadej Pogačar’s team also participated in a greater number of races than their Dutch competitors.
CEO Mauro Gianetti is obviously very happy with this. “Winning the UCI team classifications confirms that we are the best team in the world,” he told the American website Cyclingnews. “This is special for us and our sponsors.”
“It was one of our biggest goals for 2023 along with the Tour de France. We didn’t win the Tour, but we finished second and third. We won with 18 different riders, we won the youth jersey in all the big tournaments…
“It looks good for the future. We invested in young talents, and it’s paying off. It was an exceptional season,” the team boss revealed.
A low point in 2023 was undoubtedly the stage to Col de la Loze during the Tour de France. Tadej Pogacar completely cracked during the climb and crossed the finish line 7’37” after the stage winner, Jonas Vingegaard. “That was a special day for us,” says Gianetti.
“Tadej then dug deep and managed to hold onto the second place in the general classification. Many other cyclists would have thrown in the towel, but he showed his character and kept on fighting.”
Tadej Pogacar in the Giro d’Italia 2023?
There is a rumor about Pogacar making his debut in the Giro d’Italia next year. He would also participate in the Tour de France. “Nothing has been decided yet,” says Gianetti. “First, we will wait and see how the Tour unfolds. Then we will carefully consider it as a team and discuss it.”