Cycling: UAE Team Emirates became a one-man show. With the exception of Tadej Pogacar, hardly any driver has achieved top results in 2021. It should get better next season.
UAE Team Emirates 2021: Only Pogacar convinced
When UAE Team Emirates was formed in 2017, many pundits expected a new Real Madrid of cycling. But at first things turned out differently. Only a few successes could be retracted. Only when Tadej pogacar was committed and became the best GC driver in the world, the UAE Team Emirates was also one of the best teams on the UCI WorldTour - also in 2021. The Slovenian won the Tour de France again and was also able to win at the monuments Liège - Bastogne - Liège and the Tour of Lombardy cheer. He won the UAE Tour and Tirreno – Adriatico practically in passing. No wonder that Tadej Pogacar also leads the UCI ranking and was awarded the Velo d'Or as Cyclist of the Year. With all his top results, he almost alone ensured the good placement of his team, because the rest of the team was less convincing. Joe Dombrowski won a stage at the Giro d'Italia, Fernando Gaviria at the Tour de Pologne and Rafal Mayka at the Vuelta a Espana. Otherwise it was already with the victories of the UAE Team Emirates in the WorldTour. Disappointing considering that Marc Hirschi and alexander kristoff at least two other well-known drivers are under contract.
UAE Team Emirates 2022: Pogacar gets strong colleagues
Of course, those responsible also followed the very one-sided development of the UAE Team Emirates. While it's impressive how well Tadej Pogacar drives, a squad shouldn't just focus on the performances of a single rider. Corresponding transfers were therefore made. Ten drivers leave the team, including the Norwegian alexander christoff, the Italian David Formolo, the Spaniard David of the Cross and the American Joe Dombrowski. But the losses are more than absorbed. The quality of the team should even increase thanks to the newcomers. With the German Pascal Ackermann and the Colombian Alvaro Hodeg two top sprinters join UAE Team Emirates. The Spaniard Mark Soler, the New Zealander George Bennett and the Portuguese Joao almeida ensure a bombastic climbing line-up. The latter in particular could already compete for a GC victory in a Grand Tour. And that is exactly what the team is aiming for. You want to be able to win mass sprints, take part in tours for overall victories and also be at the front in classics.