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James Moultrie

Near-complete domination of calendar draws UAE Team Emirates-XRG closer to more historic records, and it isn't just down to Pogačar

ROME, ITALY - JUNE 01: Second place winner - Isaac Del Toro of Mexico, Adam Yates of Great Britain and Brandon McNulty of The United States of Team UAE Team Emirates - XRG celebrate at podium as best team during the 108th Giro d'Italia 2025, Stage 21 a 144.8km stage from Rome to Rome / #UCIWT / on June 01, 2025 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images).

UAE Team Emirates-XRG are closing in on more cycling history, having continued their domination of the cycling calendar with Brandon McNulty's overall victory at the Tour de Pologne on Sunday.

McNulty's win was the 72nd of the season for UAE, with overtaking their highest total of 81 from last season now looking likely in the final two and a half months of the racing calendar. The record for all-time wins by a team belongs to Columbia-HTC in 2009, who racked up 85 thanks to the likes of Mark Cavendish and Andrea Greipel.

In vast contrast, and despite Tadej Pogačar obviously making up a large proportion of UAE's 72 victories – he has 16 – UAE have amassed their total through great depth, with McNulty's victory in the final stage time trial in Poland making him the 20th UAE rider to win a race in 2025.

Winning with 20 different riders is a record already held by UAE, also from their historic 2024 season, and they could well break that in the coming months, with top riders Nils Politt, Florian Vermeersch and Mikkel Bjerg among their non-winners so far.

Mapei-Quick Step previously held the record with 19 different riders, with several iterations of the QuickStep team managed by Patrick Lefevere managing wins with more than 18 riders.

While they have continued to excel in the Grand Tours and Classics, with Pogačar at the Tour de France, they've also been dominant throughout one-week stage races and smaller events.

McNulty's win in Poland confirmed UAE's fourth WorldTour stage race win in a row, and now means they have triumphed in nine of the 12 2.UWT events in 2025, with Visma-Lease a Bike and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe the only other teams to win one.

UAE have won 15 general classification titles throughout the year, with the American closing out an already successful weekend that saw Isaac del Toro win the Vuelta a Burgos overall. This is more than the 12 they managed last year, or the 12 Jumbo-Visma managed in 2023.

The top four in the win rankings currently remain the same as last season, with Lidl-Trek in second and Soudal-QuickStep and Visma-Lease a Bike closely battling out the final podium spot. Though the gap from UAE's lead isn't as significant yet as it was in 2025, with Lidl-Trek's tally of 38 also suggesting they will surpass their previous total of 42 wins.

Team CEO Mauro Gianetti and other members of UAE's management will be eyeing history, so reaching 86 wins will be a key objective, with defending their title of number 1 ranked UCI team all but already being secured, and after that, the century of victories will be in their sights.

UAE will continue to thrive in the calendar into the Vuelta a España and end-of-season Classics in Autumn, with Juan Ayuso and João Almeida among the favourites for the final Grand Tour of the season in Spain.

Pogačar, while skipping out on a second GT, will return to racing at the GP Quebec and GP Montreal ahead of Worlds in September, where he could rack up more wins with a title defence in the latter, and a fifth Il Lombardia win in a row will also be expected in October.

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