"We’re the best team in the world" - Mauro Gianetti reacts to UAE Team Emirates topping UCI Rankings for 2023

With the 2023 road cycling season coming to a close, UAE Team Emirates have been crowned the best team, narrowly holding off Jumbo-Visma for top in the UCI World Rankings.

“Winning the UCI team classifications confirms that we’re the best team in the world," a delighted UAE Team Emirates team manager Mauro Gianetti has reacted in conversation with Cycling News. "That’s special for us and for our sponsors. It also means that the United Arab Emirates has the number one team in professional cycling."

Despite Jumbo-Visma locking out the Grand Tour victories for the year, UAE Team Emirates, led as always by Tadej Pogacar, managed to pick up more points than their seemingly dominant rivals. This fulfills a long-term aim of the team. “It was one of our biggest goals for 2023 alongside the Tour de France. We didn’t win the Tour but we finished second and third," Gianetti explains. "We won with 18 different riders, we won the best young rider white jersey in all three Grand Tours. That shows the future looks good too. We’ve invested in young talent and it’s paying off.”

"We started off really with Jay Vine winning the Tour Down Under and then Tadej won the Tour of Flanders, the Amstel Gold Race and Fleche-Wallonne," he recaps. "Tadej’s bad crash and fracture was something new for him. He spent three and a half weeks off the bike and had to start his Tour de France training from scratch. We weren’t sure what would happen at the Tour de France but Tadej gave his all. We wanted to win the Tour but we can only accept that Jonas Vingegaard and Jumbo-Visma were better this year. We’re still proud to finish second and third, and to have fought every day."

So, can they repeat the feat in 2024? “There’s a lot of speculation that Tadej could ride the Giro d’Italia, but nothing has been decided yet,” Gianetti previews, keeping his cards close to his chest. “We want to see the route of the Tour de France and then carefully consider things and talk as a team during our first team get-together. Only then will we decide and announce our plans and goals for 2024."

“The 2024 Tour de France will be a great race, especially considering what happened this year, with Primož Roglič at Bora-Hansgrohe and Remco Evenepoel targeting the Tour de France too. I can’t wait for July," he concludes. “The battle between us and Jumbo-Visma motivates and pushes both teams to improve, grow and work hard. I think it’s healthy competition that also stimulates other teams to raise their game and work hard too. For sure we’re going to be working to improve for 2024.”