UAE Team Emirates-XRG claim podium places in France and Italy

Bringing an end to the 2025 road racing season in Europe for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Florian Vermeersch delivered an assured performance to take second place at the Veneto Classic in Italy. The Belgian was just pipped to the day’s victory by Sakarias Koller Løland (Uno-X Mobility) in an uphill sprint, but spent 116km at the front of the race to bring his debut season with the Emirati squad to an end.

As Vermeersch and his breakaway companions contested the honours, Tim Wellens delivered an attacking display from the peloton, eventually claiming ninth place across the line. For the two Belgians, Sunday’s race offered one final hit-out of the year, with the Veneto Classic the last European race of the season for UAE Team Emirates-XRG.

Ending this part of the season with another podium, the Emirati outfit all but brings the curtain down on its campaign that has thus far yielded 95 victories in record-breaking fashion. Beating the previous all-time season wins tally of 85 for a professional cycling team, set by Team Columbia-HTC in 2009, UAE Team Emirates-XRG went 10 better in 2025, and currently sets a new record of 95 victories in one season.

Matching its own record from 2024, UAE Team Emirates-XRG claimed these wins from 20 different riders across its roster, whilst defending the Tour de France title and taking three Monument victories through Tadej Pogačar.

A new superstar emerged in the form of Isaac del Toro, who finished runner-up at the Giro d’Italia and picked up 16 victories across the year, whilst the Emirati squad ran rampant at the Vuelta a España to take seven stage victories and second place overall through João Almeida.

Fittingly, Del Toro will contest the very final races of the season for UAE Team Emirates-XRG in Mexico, with the young sensation set to race in the Mexican National Championships. The Individual Time Trial, on October 23, and the Road Race, on October 25, will offer UAE Team Emirates-XRG one final opportunity to add to its tally of 95 wins in 2025.

A truly remarkable campaign has seen UAE Team Emirates-XRG win seven out of the 11 UCI WorldTour one-week stage races, with the squad claiming 17 general classification victories across the year – another record. As the team lands the prize of being the No.1-ranked UCI WorldTeam for the third year in succession, Pogačar and co. picked up 14 stage wins across the three Grand Tours.

With the all-time season win tally smashed, UAE Team Emirates-XRG positions itself as one of the most successful teams in the history of professional cycling, something achieved thanks to the combined efforts of its riders and staff across an incredible campaign.

On Sunday afternoon, the Veneto Classic was raced in suitably entertaining fashion to close this chapter. From the gun in Soave, the action was fast-paced, and after 60km or so, a large breakaway escaped the grasp of the peloton.

Within the breakaway’s midst was Vermeersch from UAE Team Emirates-XRG, and the Belgian would remain at the head of the proceedings for the next 116km until the finish line. Meanwhile, the likes of Wellens and Pavel Sivakov remained attentive to opportunities from the bunch behind.

Little by little, be it by a mechanical issue or a physical deficit, riders were shed from the breakaway as the day unfolded, and with 100km to go, the gap between the breakaway and the peloton was over two minutes. Sensing that the bunch might not see the front of the race again, Sivakov decided to chance his arm from the peloton and went on the attack in solo fashion.

It was always going to be an uphill task for Sivakov to close the two-minute gap to a 16-man front group alone, but the Frenchman was determined to end the season on the front foot. So too was Wellens, who said his goodbyes to the peloton inside the final 40km of the day.

Neither rider was ultimately able to bridge across to the breakaway, which had ensured the gap to the peloton was too large to close, but Wellens was able to mop up riders along the way to Bassano del Grappa. The Belgian national champion was rewarded with ninth place on the day, bringing a fine end to one of his most memorable seasons to date.

At the very front of the race, though, Vermeersh was keen to make the racing attritional, and with 18km to go, the recently-crowned gravel world champion launched a bold attack on a challenging cobbled climb. Thanks to Vermeersch’s tenacity, only eight riders remained at the foot of the Diesel Farm climb.

Stretching out for 1.2km at an average gradient of over 10%, the climb was entirely on gravel, and this certainly played a factor in the outcome. Having made a strong attack on its steep slopes, Diego Ulissi of XDS Astana came unstuck on the gravel descent, and five riders came to the foot of the final climb together.

Lorenzo Germani of Groupama-FDJ made a bid for glory on the Strada Soada (450m at 9.6%), but Vermeersch took up the lion’s share of the chasing behind, and as the race came into the final kilometre, it was all to play for amongst the leading five riders.

With the final few hundred metres coming in the form of an uphill kick to the line in Bassana del Grappa, Sakarias Koller Løland made an anticipatory move for Uno-X Mobility, and the 21-year-old was rewarded with the win. As for Vermeersch, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG returned to Løland’s back wheel, but could not overhaul the youngster to take the victory.

The Belgian was forced to settle for the podium, but could reflect on a positive week in the Veneto region in his post-race interview.

Vermeersch: “I was actually feeling confident for the sprint against two other guys but it was my own mistake and credits to the winner. He did the last few hundred metres the best and deserved the win.

“We were with a really big group and I could play it a bit more tactical and stay in the wheels a bit more than the others, because I knew that from behind Tim or Pavel would definitely come. In the end, it was a strong breakaway so we stayed away and I went for my own chance. Like I said, I am a bit disappointed because I really wanted to give the team to win.

“To come second is also a good result but not what I came for. It was a pretty good week [in the Veneto], we won the Giro del Veneto with Isaac, I was two times second. It was a good week but I race to win, so for the moment I am a bit disappointed. If it is possible, for sure I want to come back [to this race] to win.”

Veneto Classic 2025 results:

1. Sakarias Koller Løland (Uno-X Mobility) 4:04:37

2. Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) s.t

3. Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana) s.t

9. Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +59″

Meanwhile, earier on Sunday afternoon, Jay Vine, Mikkel Bjerg and Rune Herregodts competed in the Chrono des Nations for UAE Team Emirates-XRG. The French one-day race is a unique prospect, raced in the form of an individual time trial across a lengthy distance of 44.9km, and looks to crown the strongest time trial rider in the peloton.

Herregodts was the first off for UAE Team Emirates-XRG and ended his first season for the team with a top-20 finish, whilst Bjerg delivered a characteristically-strong display to take sixth place on the day. The best performer, however, was Vine, who has ended the season in sensational form.

Building on his silver medal from the UCI World Time Trial Championships, the Australian claimed second place in the Chrono des Nations, beaten only by a sensational effort from the winner Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers). For Vine, it is a second runner’s up spot in as many years for the Emirati squad, confirming his place as one of the best time trialists in the world.

The 29-year-old ended his third season with UAE Team Emirates-XRG with a plethora of top results.

At the Vuelta a España, Vine won two stages and helped the squad to victory in the team time trial, before going on to seal the King of the Mountains jersey. After the World Championships that followed, the Australian headed to Italy and helped Tadej Pogačar to his fifth straight Il Lombardia title, and then claimed his first-ever podium place in a one-day road race at Valdengo-Oropa.

Beaten only by Tarling on Sunday afternoon, Vine took to the podium of the Chrono des Nations, and ended his 2025 campaign in the right way.

Chrono des Nations 2025 (44.9km ITT) results:

1. Joshua Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) 00:51:12

2. Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +30″

3. Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) +1:15

6. Mikkel Bjerg (Belgium) +1:51