Mauro Gianetti: Jumbo-Visma 'were impossible to beat' at Vuelta a España

UAE Team Emirates boss Mauro Gianetti has said that his team did their best at the Vuelta a España and played down the gap between his squad and Jumbo-Visma's, even after the Dutch team completed a clean sweep of the podium at the recent Vuelta a España.

UAE Team Emirates had a rider on the podium at the Giro d’Italia with João Almeida taking third. The team then backed that up with second place at the Tour de France through Tadej Pogačar, while Juan Ayuso took fourth in the Vuelta. However, at each turn Jumbo-Visma were one step ahead, winning the Giro with Primož Roglic, the Tour de France via Jonas Vingegaard, and then completing the Vuelta with both of those riders just behind overall winner Sepp Kuss.

Read more: GCN stat attack: Cillian Kelly analyses the Jumbo-Visma 1-2-3 at the Vuelta a España

At one point in the Vuelta it looked as though Gianetti’s team would give Jumbo-Visma a run for their money but Jay Vine crashed out, João Almeida wasn’t able to maintain his best form due to illness, and Marc Soler dropped down the GC in the final week. 

“We lost Jay Vine in the first week. He was in really good condition and he showed in Andorra that he was really good. Ayuso did his best but Roglic, Kuss and Vingegaard, we know who they are. They were impossible to beat. If you have two or three riders then you can attack and that makes their team stronger. We did our best but they were stronger,” Gianetti told GCN at the conclusion of the Vuelta.

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Ayuso couldn't replicate his 2022 podium, finishing fourth

UAE didn’t send their best team to the Vuelta, and that in part came down to the fact that the team wanted to also chase UCI points in order to finish the season as the best men’s team in the world - an aim they are currently on track to meet. Pogačar has been dispatched to a number of one-day races, while Adam Yates - third in the Tour - has finished on the podium of the Vuelta a Burgos and taken a win at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal since July.

While Jumbo-Visma sent their best stage racers to Spain for the Vuelta, Gianetti praised the team’s overall strength in depth, and the team’s policy of recruiting young riders for the future and giving them a chance.

“We decided to have a different programme for our rider, and we looked more at the long term here. That’s why we decided not to just focus on this race. We’re looking long-term. We could have come with Tadej but it was our decision to come with Ayuos and give him the opportunity. The same with Jay, but he crashed, and that can happen in cycling,” he said.

“The big satisfaction is that 15 or 16 riders have won at least one race with us this season. That’s why we’ve invested in youth and the future,” he said.

Much of the rider recruitment centres around the work done by Matxin Joxean Fernandez. He has signed a string of young talents over the years, including Juan Auyso and others. According to Fernandez, the policy of attracting young riders will continue in the future, with several promising riders linked to the team for next year.

“I’ve been working with young riders for a long time and I believe in their talent. I don’t consider everything around age though, because it’s about being a champion character,” Fernandez told GCN. “That’s most important. There are a lot of good riders but there aren't many champions and being a champion isn’t just about good legs, it’s about a strong mentality. Champions are made with character, not with just the legs.”

Both Fernandez and Gianetti confirmed to GCN that they remained in contact with 2023 Tour de l'Avenir  winner Isaac del Toro. The 19-year-old has been linked with several WorldTour teams for 2024, with UAE Team Emirates the favourites to sign him.

“We will see. We are in contact. There are many teams talking but nothing is signed,” Gianetti said.

Read more: Isaac del Toro - from anonymity to the top of the sport