The UCI WorldTour is back with 35 events and 18 UCI WorldTeams, ready to bring battle throughout 2023. The off-season has made it possible to reshape the personnel and the first changes can be seen as soon as elite racing returns to Australia, on the Santos Tour Down Under, with the recomposition of the peloton following the promotion of Alpecin-Deceuninck and Team Arkéa-Samsic at the end of the 2022 season, while Lotto Dstny and Israel Premier Tech now have ProTeam licenses. A new three-year cycle begins, with teams out to defend or win a spot at the top. What forces are at play?
Jumbo-Visma, UAE Team Emirates, ever stronger?
Jumbo-Visma, winner of the 2022 UCI WorldTour team classification, have attracted new talent to continue displaying their collective strength in the year’s biggest cycling events. The Dutch formation can now rely on Dylan van Baarle, winner of his first Monument at Paris-Roubaix 2022, the versatile Jan Tratnik and the talented duo of Attila Valter and Wilco Keldermann. They bring further support to established leaders, Jonas Vingegaard, in search of a second Tour de France, Wout van Aert, eager for success in the classics, and Primož Roglič, who will return to the Giro d'Italia three years after his last participation in the Corsa Rosa, where he took third place.
Dear @giroditalia,
— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) December 22, 2022
Let’s see each other again in May.
𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆,@rogla pic.twitter.com/ZfWLnWrWxS
Such an armada is well needed to contain the competition, not least Tadej Pogačar’s UAE Team Emirates. The Slovenian prodigy can count on a new high-flying climber in Adam Yates. The Emirati formation also recruited Jay Vine, winner of two stages at the 2022 Vuelta and already crowned Australian Champion in the time trial at the start of 2023, as well as Felix Großschartner and Tim Wellens. Pascal Ackermann and Álvaro Hodeg will be aiming for bunch sprints after Fernando Gaviria's departure to Movistar Team.
Like Astana-Qazaqstan Team, whose iconic leader Vincenzo Nibali has bidden farewell to the professional peloton, the Spanish team begins a new cycle after the retirement of Alejandro Valverde. After a strong end to the 2022 season, Enric Mas has the confidence to take over from the Spanish icon when the road rises. In the Kazakh ranks, the next generation is there to be seen in Yevgeniy Fedorov, UCI Under 23 World Champion last year in Wollongong (Australia).
Ineos Grenadiers and Soudal Quick-Step, always aiming for more
The inescapable Ineos Grenadiers will also be at the centre of attention, with the return to the fore of the Colombian Egan Bernal, who should participate in the Tour de France, three years after his historic success and a year and a half after his serious accident during training. The recruitment of Thymen Arensman represents a major new asset in the stage races. With 39 victories in 2022, the British team will try to do even better despite the departures of Richie Porte (retired), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Dylan van Baarle (Jumbo-Visma) and Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco-AlUla), in addition to that of Adam Yates towards UAE Team Emirates.
In Belgium, the Wolfpack, which becomes Soudal Quick-Step this year, will aim to return to the top step of the podiums in the classics. The two-time UCI World Champion Julian Alaphilippe aims for the Flanders Classics and the Tour de France. With his new rainbow jersey, Remco Evenepoel will try to win a second consecutive Grand Tour, this time on Italian roads. The Belgian team is reorienting itself by aiming for the general classification in stage races, but it has also attracted Belgian Tim Merlier to lead the sprints alongside Fabio Jakobsen.
Strength on all terrains
After their first Grand Tour overall victory, Bora-Hansgrohe and Jai Hindley will defend their crown in the Giro d'Italia. The German team can shine on all terrains with riders such as Aleksandr Vlasov, Sergio Higuita, Sam Bennett and Nils Politt. Coming from AG2R Citroën Team, Bob Jungels brings more strength to the squad. As for the French team led by Vincent Lavenu, they hope Ben O'Connor can be a regular on stage race podiums. Cofidis is moving forward with similar ambitions for Guillaume Martin.
The American outfit EF Education-EasyPost has a new major asset with the Olympic Champion Richard Carapaz. The men in pink have further strengthened themselves for the classics with the Dane Mikkel Frølich Honoré, coming from Quick-Step.
Bahrain Victorious can always count on Mikel Landa (3rd in the Giro d'Italia and Il Lombardia in 2022) for the mountains and on Matej Mohorič (winner of Milano-Sanremo) in the one-day races, while Sonny Colbrelli has retired after a year marked by a heart problem. The Australian Team Jayco-AlUla (the new name of the BikeExchange-Jayco) team also hopes to shine on all terrains with leaders Michael Matthews, Simon Yates and Dylan Groenewegen.
Intermarché-Wanty Gobert will have the challenging task of following their incredible 2022 season (24 victories) despite the departures of Jan Hirt (Soudal Quick-Step), Alexandr Kristoff (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team) and Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck). Eleven recruits (including Mike Teunissen and Rui Costa[MJU1] ) come to reinforce Biniam Girmay's team.
Seeds of champions
Trek-Segafredo rely on the same strengths as in 2022, with the leaders Mads Pedersen, Jasper Stuyven, Giulio Ciccone and Bauke Mollema. But the American team have also attracted new rising talents such as Thibau Nys, Natnael Tesfatsion and Mathias Vacek to accompany youngsters Filippo Baroncini, Quinn Simmons and Mattias Skjelmose, who are already in the squad.
Marc Madiot's Groupama-FDJ has made room for eight champions in the making from its UCI Continental Team. The most notable newcomers are Lenny Martinez and Romain Grégoire (19 years old). With more experience, David Gaudu is aiming for the podium in the Tour de France, where he should be accompanied by sprinter Arnaud Démare, while Thibaut Pinot is preparing his return to the Giro d'Italia. The French team will rely on Stefan Küng for the time trials and the classics. Valentin Madouas is ready to shine on all terrains.
Led by Romain Bardet, Team DSM brings four young talents from its UCI Continental Team up to the UCI WorldTour, with a keen focus on the Briton Oscar Onley (21), who impressed in the fight against Jonas Vingegaard in the CRO Race (UCI Europe Tour) in 2022. British talents are also arriving in force at Ineos Grenadiers with the winner of the 2022 Baby Giro Léo Hayter, who joins his brother Ethan, and Joshua Tarling, UCI Junior World Champion on the track and on the road.
[MJU1]I cannot find him listed in their team but see he is widely cited as being in the team from 2023.