Joxean Matxin leaves role at UAE Team Emirates

UAE Team Emirates is seeing changes within it's management this year, as Joxean Matxin, until today a scout, consultant and occasionally a DS for the UAE team, will be leaving his role after a long stay in the peloton.

“I am indeed retiring as a team leader," Matxin said in an interview with Wielerflits. “I am a sports manager and I do, among other things, the competition calendar and the planning around it. That is a lot of work, because there are more than a hundred people involved. In addition, we have very good team leaders. Fabio Baldato, Fabrizio Guidi, Marco Marcato, Manuele Mori, Aart Vierhouten and Andrej Hauptman, among others."

Matxin used to have responsibilities from within the race car, but not this year as he's focused more on the management side of the successful team, which bolsters one of the largest budgets in pro cycling and has used it to great effect. "They have a lot of quality and take their responsibility in the team leader's car. I will still be present at races, but not in the car anymore," he said.

Matxin has been around pro cycling for around 30 years, within the staff of several big teams. Recently he was a part of Quick-Step, and UAE Team Emirates. He joined the team in late 2017 and his influence and scouting has seen the team bet heavily and hire such talents as Tadej Pogacar, Juan Ayuso and João Almeida who currently sit on the team's top and promise a great deal of success in the Grand Tours in the coming years.

“Because I'm in contact with a lot of people and it's been a stressful year, I'm taking a step back. This year I did the UAE Tour, the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España with great passion," he said.

After a long career, Matxin is leaving his role from within the team, but says he will remain connected with the team, with an open future. "But after thirty years I think that was nice. In consultation with riders and staff, it has been my own decision to say goodbye to the team leadership for now," he concluded.