UCI rankings: UAE holds on ahead of Jumbo despite the Vuelta and the European Championships

UAE Team Emirates leads the race to win the annual UCI classification, but its lead over Jumbo-Visma is minimal, with only 387 points separating them. Still, it is surprising that the team that has won all 3 grand tours, coming off podium finishes at the Vuelta a España and the European Championships, is still behind.

Doubts are resolved by Raul Banqueri in Lanterne Rouge. Thus, Jumbo-Visma has shown a solid performance in the WorldTour and the World Cup, but UAE has made the difference in the ProSeries and .1 races, where it has earned 2,600 more UCI points than Jumbo-Visma (it holds the lead this week because of its display at the Tour of Luxembourg). This has been decisive in the fight for the UCI classification, as the difference with the other teams is considerable.

Analyzing the calendar of both squads, ProCyclingStats reveals that UAE will participate in 14 races until the end of the season, while Jumbo-Visma will participate in 10. The absence of Vingegaard and Kuss in the remaining competitions leaves the main responsibility of scoring UCI points in the hands of Roglic and Van Aert in the Dutch team.

However, a surprising decision could benefit UAE Team Emirates. Wout van Aert is scheduled to compete in the Gravel World Championships instead of events like Lombardia or Paris-Tours, and this choice will not award UCI points. This could give UAE an additional advantage in the standings.

Fight for the Wildcards.

Uno-X and Total Energies are also in a fierce battle, with Uno-X leading Total Energies by 281 points in the race for automatic invitations to next year's WorldTour classics. However, the impending merger between Jumbo and QuickStep could change the game, making Uno-X and Total Energies wild cards for the entire WorldTour.