UAE Team Emirates leads early-season victory count
Deceuninck-Quickstep, EF Pro Cycling find success while CCC remain winless
UAE Team Emirates has come out the strongest in the first six weeks of the 2020 season, taking home 10 victories on three continents with four different riders and look on course to climb up the UCI team rankings this season.
Last season UAE Team Emirates finished the year fourth behind Deceuninck-Quickstep, Bora-Hansgrohe and Jumbo-Visma in the UCI World Team Rankings, but were sixth in the victory count, with Astana and Mitchelton-Scott taking the top step more often.
So far this year Deceuninck-Quickstep, last year's dominant team, was next best with seven wins just ahead of EF Pro Cycling with six.
UAE Team Emirates' success included three stages at the Vuelta a San Juan by sprinter Fernando Gaviria and three by Sebastian Molano at Tour Colombia 2.1. The team's sprint lead-out in both cases enlivened by new recruit Max Richeze from Deceuninck-Quickstep. Both riders outstripped Deceuninck's designated sprinter Alvaro Hodeg, who landed five of the team's podium placings but hasn't found the speed yet to take a win.
Over in Europe, Tadej Pogacar was impeccable at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, winning two stages and the overall, while Rui Costa claimed a stage win in the Saudi Tour.
Deceuninck-Quickstep's bright spot was Remco Evenepoel's overall win in Vuelta a San Juan, while EF Pro Cycling dominated the Tour Colombia 2.1, taking the top three spots overall with Sergio Higuita, Dani Martinez and Jonathan Caicedo and three stage wins.
In the WorldTour races, Lotto Soudal have had the highest hit rate, taking three wins - two by Caleb Ewan and one by Matt Holmes at the Tour Down Under. Deceuninck-Quickstep took out two wins - the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race with Dries Devenyns and a stage in the Tour Down Under by Sam Bennett. Trek-Segafredo also won two WorldTour races - Richie Porte's stage and overall win at the TDU.
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The biggest turnaround has come from NTT Pro Cycling who, as Dimension Data had the misfortune of being the lowest ranked surviving WorldTour squad, just ahead of Katusha-Alpecin who folded into the Israel Start-Up Nation organisation in 2020.
NTT has scored one WorldTour win already this season - Giacomo Nizzolo's stage in TDU - and three others, with Ben O'Connor taking a stage in Etoile de Besseges and Max Walscheid two stages in Tour de Langkawi, with seven podium placings to boot.
The addition of Walscheid and new management in Bjarne Riis seems to have paid off so far.
Trek-Segafredo also have four wins to date with Matteo Moschetti's two victories in the Challenge Mallorca, as do Team Sunweb - all in the Jayco Herald Sun Tour - and Arkea-Samsic thanks to Nacer Bouhanni's three wins and Nairo Quintana's overall victory in Tour de la Provence.
Of the WorldTour teams, only the CCC Team have gone without a win so far, taking seven podium placings. Last year's second-lowest WorldTeam in the rankings, CCC may have fallen shy of the top podium step so far this year, but have taken home seven podium spots.
Groupama-FDJ were the least represented on the podiums of the WorldTour teams, taking only one each podium placing and are nearly last of the WorldTeams in the UCI rankings with only Jumbo-Visma - also off to a slow start - the only top division team behind them.
Cofidis, the newest WorldTour team, has similarly struggled, taking a win in the Tropicale Amissa Bongo with Elia Viviani's brother Attilio, but the European champion's crash in Tour Down Under hampered his chances.
| Team | Division | 1sts | 2nds | 3rds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAE Team Emirates | WT | 10 | 4 | 4 |
| Deceuninck-Quickstep | WT | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| EF Pro Cycling | WT | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| NTT Pro Cycling | WT | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| Team Arkea-Samsic | PT | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Trek-Segafredo | WT | 4 | 1 | Row 5 - Cell 4 |
| Team Sunweb | WT | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Bahrain McLaren | WT | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Nippo Delko One Provence | PT | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Lotto Soudal | WT | 3 | Row 9 - Cell 3 | 1 |
| Mitchelton-Scott | WT | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| Bora-Hansgrohe | WT | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Astana | WT | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec | PT | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Total Direct Energie | PT | 2 | 2 | Row 14 - Cell 4 |
| AG2R la Mondiale | WT | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Team Jumbo-Visma | WT | 2 | 1 | Row 16 - Cell 4 |
| Circus-Wanty Gobert | PT | 2 | Row 17 - Cell 3 | 3 |
| Terengganu TSG | CT | 2 | Row 18 - Cell 3 | 3 |
| Algeria | NT | 1 | 4 | Row 19 - Cell 4 |
| Israel Start-Up Nation | WT | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Team Ineos | WT | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Movistar Team | WT | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Italy | NT | 1 | 2 | Row 23 - Cell 4 |
| Vino-Astana Motors | CT | 1 | 2 | Row 24 - Cell 4 |
| Cofidis | WT | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Sapura | CT | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Groupama-FDJ | WT | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Eritrea | NT | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Natura4ever-RLM | CT | 1 | 1 | Row 29 - Cell 4 |
| Ara | CT | 1 | Row 30 - Cell 3 | 2 |
| Fenix-Alpecin | PT | 1 | Row 31 - Cell 3 | Row 31 - Cell 4 |
| Cameroon | NT | 1 | Row 32 - Cell 3 | Row 32 - Cell 4 |
| CCC Team | WT | Row 33 - Cell 2 | 3 | 4 |
| St George | CT | Row 34 - Cell 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Team Medellin | CT | Row 35 - Cell 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Bardiani-CSF Faizane' | PT | Row 36 - Cell 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Agrupacion Virgen De Fatima | CT | Row 37 - Cell 2 | 1 | Row 37 - Cell 4 |
| Rally Cycling | PT | Row 38 - Cell 2 | 1 | Row 38 - Cell 4 |
| Thailand CC | CT | Row 39 - Cell 2 | 1 | Row 39 - Cell 4 |
| Rwanda | NT | Row 40 - Cell 2 | 1 | Row 40 - Cell 4 |
| Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | PT | Row 41 - Cell 2 | Row 41 - Cell 3 | 1 |
| Municipalidad de Pocito | CT | Row 42 - Cell 2 | Row 42 - Cell 3 | 1 |
| Nero Continental | CT | Row 43 - Cell 2 | Row 43 - Cell 3 | 1 |
| Riwal Readynez | PT | Row 44 - Cell 2 | Row 44 - Cell 3 | 1 |
| Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise | PT | Row 45 - Cell 2 | Row 45 - Cell 3 | 1 |
| B&B Hotels-Vital Concept | PT | Row 46 - Cell 2 | Row 46 - Cell 3 | 1 |
| Morocco | NT | Row 47 - Cell 2 | Row 47 - Cell 3 | 1 |
* National championships, criteriums excluded. Wins taken while racing on national teams included with national team.
UCI Team Ranking
The UCI teams rankings tell a different story, with the classification favouring depth over podiums and WorldTour points over smaller races.
The UCI resets its teams classification at the start of the season, then takes the points of the best 10 riders on each team to form the ranking.
Mitchelton-Scott lead the teams classification by 110 points over Team Ineos, with UAE Team Emirates in third, closely followed by Trek-Segafredo.
The UCI teams classification will be critical for teams wishing to continue in the sport's top tier. The UCI will use the three-year team rankings to determine which squads will remain in the WorldTour when it is limited to 18 teams in 2022.
Mitchelton-Scott's points tally was led by Daryl Impey and Simon Yates, while Ineos' second place was the result of top finishes by Dylan van Baarle, Rohan Dennis, Pavel Sivakov and Egan Bernal.
| Pos. | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mitchelton-Scott | 1646 |
| 2 | Team Ineos | 1536 |
| 3 | UAE Team Emirates | 1272 |
| 4 | Trek-Segafredo | 1247 |
| 5 | Deceuninck-Quick-Step | 1169 |
| 6 | EF Pro Cycling | 1094 |
| 7 | Bora-Hansgrohe | 1032 |
| 8 | Team Sapura Cycling | 894 |
| 9 | Team Arkea-Samsic | 856 |
| 10 | Cofidis | 714 |
| 11 | AG2R la Mondiale | 688 |
| 12 | Bahrain McLaren | 683 |
| 13 | Astana Pro Team | 610 |
| 14 | Terengganu inc. TSG | 592 |
| 15 | Circus-Wanty Gobert | 585 |
| 16 | Movistar Team | 579 |
| 17 | NTT Pro Cycling | 554 |
| 18 | Lotto Soudal | 550 |
| 19 | CCC Team | 542 |
| 20 | Team Sunweb | 532 |
| 21 | Groupama-FDJ | 469 |
| 22 | Nippo Delko Provence | 461 |
| 23 | Team Jumbo-Visma | 403 |
| 24 | Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec | 385 |
| 25 | St George Continental | 358 |
| 26 | Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise | 333 |
| 27 | Israel Start-Up Nation | 320 |
| 28 | B&B Hotels-Vital Concept | 279 |
| 29 | Vino-Astana Motors | 271 |
| 30 | Black Spoke Pro Cycling Academy | 267 |
| 31 | Ningxia Sports Lottery Continental Team | 264 |
| 32 | Fundacion-Orbea | 262 |
| 33 | Total Direct Energie | 232 |
| 34 | Vini Zabu' KTM | 231 |
| 35 | NTT Continental | 210 |
| 36 | Team Medellin | 206 |
| 37 | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | 168 |
| 38 | Gazprom-Rusvelo | 167 |
| 39 | Minsk Cycling Club | 153 |
| 40 | Team Bridgelane | 141 |
| 41 | Natura4ever-Roubaix-Lille Metropole | 139 |
| 42 | Bai Sicasal Petro de Luanda | 125 |
| 43 | Aisan Racing Team | 113 |
| 44 | Protouch | 110 |
| 45 | Kern Pharma | 104 |
| 46 | Riwal Readynez | 104 |
| 47 | Utsunomiya Blitzen | 93 |
| 48 | Kometa Xstra | 89 |
| 49 | Mazowsze Serce Polski | 85 |
| 50 | Thailand Continental Cycling Team | 84 |
| 51 | Rally Cycling | 81 |
| 52 | Dukla Banska Bystrica | 81 |
| 53 | PGN Road | 80 |
| 54 | Team Felbermayr Simplon Wels | 78 |
| 55 | Hagens Berman Axeon | 73 |
| 56 | Hksi Pro | 72 |
| 57 | Hengxiang | 70 |
| 58 | Bardiani CSF Faizane' | 70 |
| 59 | Memil Pro Cycling | 66 |
| 60 | Burgos-BH | 62 |
| 61 | Team Ukyo | 61 |
| 62 | Colombia Tierra de Atletas GW Bicicletas | 61 |
| 63 | Shenzhen Xidesheng Cycling Team | 60 |
| 64 | EPM-Scott | 60 |
| 65 | Nero Continental | 59 |
| 66 | Ferei-CCN | 59 |
| 67 | Amore e Vita-Prodir | 55 |
| 68 | BIG | 55 |
| 69 | Ssois Miogee | 53 |
| 70 | Canel's Pro Cycling | 52 |
| 71 | Canyon dhb p/b Soreen | 50 |
| 72 | Kinan | 48 |
| 73 | Spor Toto | 48 |
| 74 | Biesse Arvedi | 45 |
| 75 | Agrupación Virgen de Fatima-Saddledrunk | 45 |
| 76 | Alpecin-Fenix | 42 |
| 77 | Go for Gold Philippines | 41 |
| 78 | Akros-Excelsior-Thömus | 40 |
| 79 | ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast | 38 |
| 80 | Groupement Sportif des Petroliers | 38 |
| 81 | Wildlife Generation Pro Cycling | 36 |
| 82 | Sindicato de Empleados Publicos de san Juan | 35 |
| 83 | Municipalidad de Pocito | 35 |
| 84 | Wallonie Bruxelles | 33 |
| 85 | Equipo Continental Supergiros | 32 |
| 86 | Jumbo-Visma Development Team | 31 |
| 87 | Wibatech Merx | 30 |
| 88 | SEG Racing Academy | 26 |
| 89 | Israel Start-Up Nation | 25 |
| 90 | Uno-X Norwegian Development Team | 25 |
| 91 | A Bloc CT | 22 |
| 92 | Team Bridgestone Cycling | 20 |
| 93 | St Michel-Auber 93 | 20 |
| 94 | Apple Team | 18 |
| 95 | Swiss Racing Academy | 14 |
| 96 | Sidi Ali Pro Cycling Team | 13 |
| 97 | Aevolo | 13 |
| 98 | 7Eleven Cliqq-Air21 by Roadbike Philippines | 11 |
| 99 | Work Service-Dinatek-Vega | 11 |
| 100 | General Store-Essegibi-f.lli Curia | 10 |
| 101 | Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan | 7 |
| 102 | KFC Cycling Team | 7 |
| 103 | Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling | 6 |
| 104 | Atum General/Tavira/Maria Nova Hotel | 6 |
| 105 | Oliver's Real Food Racing | 5 |
| 106 | Aviludo-Louletano | 5 |
| 107 | Gios-Kiwi Atlantico | 5 |
| 108 | Friuli Asd | 5 |
| 109 | Transporte Puertas de Cuyo | 5 |
| 110 | Cambodia Cycling Academy | 5 |
| 111 | Lokosphinx | 5 |
| 112 | Orgullo Paisa | 5 |
| 113 | Eurocyclingtrips-CMI Pro Cycling | 3 |
| 114 | Shimano Racing Team | 3 |
| 115 | Bike Aid | 3 |
| 116 | D'Amico um Tools | 3 |
| 117 | San Luis | 3 |
| 118 | Beltrami TSA Marchiol | 3 |
| 119 | Tianyoude Hotel | 1 |
Laura Weislo is a Cyclingnews veteran of 20 years. Having joined in 2006, Laura extensively covered the Operacion Puerto doping scandal, the years-long conflict between the UCI and the Tour de France organisers ASO over the creation of the WorldTour, and the downfall of Lance Armstrong and his lifetime ban for doping. As Managing Editor, Laura coordinates coverage for North American events and global news.
