POLL: Team of the Year - CyclingUpToDate End of Season Awards
Cycling
The 2023 road season has reached its conclusion and we want to hear from you! Which team had the most impressive campaign? Your opinion counts and every vote matters so cast your vote!
Firstly of course, the nominees. And to make this one a bit more of an even battle, we've combined both the men's and women's World Tour.
Jumbo-Visma
As close to a perfect season as any team could imagine, Jumbo-Visma were the dominant force in Grand Tour racing this year with Primoz Roglic, Jonas Vingegaard and Sepp Kuss completing a historic hattrick. Away from Grand Tour racing the success continued. A suffocating display at the Tour of Britain, victories at Tirreno-Adriatico, Gent Wevelgem, Dwars door Vlaanderen, Itzulia Basque Country, the Critérium du Dauphiné… The list goes on and on and on.
UAE Team Emirates
Take away Jumbo-Visma’s Grand Tour heroics and UAE Team Emirates were undisputedly the Team of the Year. Successes throughout the campaign, spearheaded of course by the superstar that is Tadej Pogacar. Securing a podium at the Giro d’Italia through Joao Almeida, Pogacar and Adam Yates on the podium at the Tour de France plus Juan Ayuso being the ‘best of the rest’ at the Vuelta a Espana, add to that two monument successes and Paris-Nice from Pogacar, a Tour de Romandie win through Yates and many more it was a true season to be remembered, despite missing a Grand Tour victory.
Team SD Worx
The dominant force in women's cycling this year, Team SD Worx's levels of success were unrivalled. From Demi Vollering's GC successes at the Tour de France Femmes and the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas to the Dutchwoman's one-day triumphs at Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Strade Bianche and the Amstel Gold Race, plus Lotte Kopecky taking dominant wins at the World Championships, the Simac Ladies Tour, the Tour of Flanders and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad there was success after success over the year. With the likes of Marlen Reusser and Lorena Wiebes chipping in with wins as well and plenty of one-two finishes it was an incredible 2023.
Soudal - Quick-Step
Whilst perhaps not at their levels of supreme success seen in recent years, 55 victories over the year still marks a very successful season. As the team becomes more focused on supporting Remco Evenepoel, their season's success becomes equally intertwined. Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Clasica San Sebastian, time-trial World Championship and multiple stages of the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana remains an impressive campaign despite the Belgian’s doubters quick to highlight the lack of a sustained Grand Tour challenge this year.
Alpecin-Deceuninck
With their very impressive haul of 35 victories in 2023, Alpecin-Deceuninck have a lot to look back on with pride over the last year. Typically stunning performances from Mathieu van der Poel including notable victories at Paris-Roubaix (with Philipsen making it a one-two), Milano-Sanremo and the World Championships (although not in Alpecin colours), but the team are so much more than just a van der Poel support team nowadays. Kaden Groves’ three Vuelta a Espana stage wins and the Green Jersey would arguably be the team’s highlight in most years, if not for Jasper Philipsen’s incredible year. The Belgian sprint star taking a world-leading 19 wins, including the Tour de France Green Jersey and four stage wins at cycling’s biggest race.
INEOS Grenadiers
A decent showing from the INEOS Grenadiers, you could argue this was just 14 seconds away from being a very good season. Had Geraint Thomas not relinquished the Maglia Rosa on the penultimate stage of the Giro d’Italia, a Grand Tour win to add to Grand Tour stage wins from Filippo Ganna, Michal Kwiatkowski and Carlos Rodriguez would have been very impressive. Alas, that wasn’t the case but nevertheless, 36 wins including Strade Bianche through Tom Pidcok and this is a very respectable effort.
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Bahrain - Victorious
Stage wins at all three Grand Tours through five different riders (Jonathan Milan - Giro stage 2, Santiago Buitrago - Giro stage 19, Pello Bilbao - Tour stage 10, Matej Mohoric - Tour stage 19 and Wout Poels - Tour stage 15 + Vuelta stage 20), Jonathan Milan’s points classification victory at the Giro d’Italia, three National Championship wins and Matej Mohoric being crowned Gravel World Champion, there were plenty of big wins in 2023. Back that up with credible podium challenges at each Grand Tour and it’s a very impressive campaign for Bahrain.
Lidl-Trek
Mads Pedersen was without a doubt the standout Lidl-Trek performer of the year, including victories at the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France and very creditable performances at the Glasgow World Championships, Paris-Roubaix, the Tour of Flanders and Milano-Sanremo. Add to that Giulio Ciccone’s polka-dot jersey at the Tour de France and it’s a fairly successful year.
So having seen the nominees, who do you think should win? Use the poll below to cast your vote!
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