New record: Pogačar team sets new record
TOUR
· 22.09.2025
The UAE Team Emirates - XRG made cycling history on 21 September 2025. With Brandon McNulty's overall victory at the Tour de Luxembourg, the team achieved its 86th win of the season, surpassing the previous record of 85 victories set by Team Columbia-HTC in 2009. The American professional cyclist confidently defended his yellow jersey on the final stage with a selective circuit in Luxembourg City and secured his fourth personal victory of the season. While Romain Grégoire (Groupama - FDJ) took the stage win on a rain-soaked course, McNulty brought his lead safely to the finish, crowning an exceptional season for his team. "It's very special to be part of the team that breaks the record and even more special to be the one to do it," said McNulty after his historic success. The US-American added that the last day had been a little more stressful due to the rain, but that the team had ridden well and defended the jersey well.
The architects of success
UAE Team Emirates-XRG's impressive winning streak is based on an exceptionally broad distribution of performance within the squad. A total of 20 different riders have notched up at least one victory this season - that equates to around two thirds of the entire team squad. Tadej Pogačar leads the internal list of winners with 16 victories, followed by Isaac Del Toro (13), João Almeida (10) and Juan Ayuso (8). Other key winners were Jay Vine (5) and Brandon McNulty, Jhonatan Narváez and Ivo Oliveira with four victories each. This broad distribution of victories across many shoulders distinguishes the team from previous record holders such as Team Columbia-HTC, which benefited greatly from the 23 victories of sprinter Mark Cavendish in 2009. Mauro Gianetti, CEO and Team Principal of UAE Team Emirates - XRG, emphasised the significance of the milestone: "To achieve 86 wins in one season is an extraordinary milestone and reflects the incredible commitment and unity of everyone in this organisation - from our UAE-based leaders to our riders, staff, sponsors and supporters."
Unique winning strategy
What is particularly remarkable about UAE Team Emirates-XRG's record-breaking season is the way in which the victories were achieved. Unlike many other successful teams of the past, which have benefited greatly from bunch sprints, the team has not achieved a single one of its 86 victories this season in a classic bunch sprint. Instead, the team dominated with solo victories and successes from small groups. Of the 69 victories that did not come from overall classifications, 35 were won in solo attacks, 21 in small group sprints and six in two-man sprints. A further five victories came from time trials. These statistics emphasise the team's strength in hilly and mountainous terrain and its ability to actively shape races instead of relying on bunch sprints. In comparison, Team Columbia-HTC achieved only four solo victories in 2009 and won the majority of its races from the peloton.
Quality instead of quantity
The successes of UAE Team Emirates-XRG are characterised not only by their number, but also by their quality. More than half of the victories (52.3 per cent) were won at WorldTour level, the highest category in cycling. A further 17.4 per cent of successes came from ProSeries races, while 23.3 per cent were achieved in category 1 races. National championships account for the remaining 7 per cent. This distribution shows that the team has not amassed its victories by taking part in lower-class races, but has regularly prevailed against the world's best competition. Outstanding successes include Tadej Pogačar's overall victory in the Tour de France, his triumph in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and his victory in the Tour of Flanders, as well as numerous stage wins in all three Grand Tours. At the Vuelta a España 2025 alone, the team collected seven stage wins and secured second place in the overall standings with João Almeida.
Historical categorisation
The new record joins a list of seemingly unattainable cycling records that have been surpassed over time. Similar to Mark Cavendish's overcoming of Eddy Merckx's record for Tour de France stage wins, UAE Team Emirates - XRG has now broken a record long thought untouchable. The team's dominance becomes even clearer when you consider that it had already come close to the record last year with 81 victories. Team Columbia-HTC (2009) with 85 victories, UAE Team Emirates (2024) with 81 victories, Team Columbia (2008) with 77 victories and Quick-Step Floors (2018) with 73 victories now follow in the all-time leaderboard. The success rate is also remarkable: UAE Team Emirates-XRG won 26.9 per cent of all races in which it took part - only Team Columbia-HTC was more successful in 2009 with 28.1 per cent.
