At the beginning of yet another exciting season in the world of professional cycling, fans and commentators have begun making predictions for what will come in 2023. However, before the most famous cycling competitions return, we must look back at some of the biggest accomplishments of 2022, including those achieved by the best cycling team in the world in 2022, Jumbo-Visma.
In the past year, the Dutch team has proven not only their ability to dominate some of the most important races in the world but also landed one of the most surprising victories in the Tour de France in the past years. These are some of the highlights of Jumbo-Visma’s 2022 season.
Jumbo-Visma’s season in numbers
Wins: 48 triumphs out of which 24 were achieved in the World Tour
Podium finishes: 108
Days spent competing: 223 days – Jumbo had a busy schedule with most of its races taking place in Europe
Average age of the squad: 28.4 years old – Jos Van Emden, at 37, is the most experienced rider and Olav Kooij, at 21 years old, is the youngest
Rider with the most KMs: Gijs Leemreize with 11226 km.
Most important victory: Jonas Vingegaard’s victory in stage 11 of the Tour, with the arrival at Col du Granon.
Highlights
Jonas Vingegaard
The Danish cyclist, Jonas Vingegaard, made history with one of the most surprising and spectacular wins at the French Tour ever. In what was an unexpected and unlikely outcome, the 26-year-old rider beat Tadej Pogačar, who had won the previous two editions and was the favorite to reach Paris in the first place.
Vingegaard’s year kicked off with a victory at the Drôme Classic, which was quickly followed by a 2nd place in the Tyrrhenian-Adriatic. He then landed a respectable 6th place at the Tour of the Basque Country and came 2nd in the Critérium du Dauphiné. His second participation at the Tour de France was by far the highlight of his year. Jonas did not only win the general classification with a 2m43s difference to Tadej Pogačar, but he also won two stages, including the mighty Col du Granon stage.
As a result, he is currently one of the favorites the win the 2023 edition of the Tour de France. Both fans and commentators rate him as a strong candidate to match Pogačar’s feat and win a second Tour de France title in a row. Currently, he is priced to come first in the most important cycling race in the world at odds of 13/8. Users interested in exploring all the Tour de France odds can do so by visiting OddsChecker US, where they will find a comprehensive list of sports betting sites to help them choose where to place their wager. They can also check the odds of other cycling events, including the Giro D’Italia, Tour of Flanders, and Paris-Roubaix.
Wout Van Aert
Secondly, we couldn’t help but mention, Wout Van Aert. The 28-year-old Belgian rider achieved nine triumphs and finished 30 times in the top 10. He came out victorious at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the Paris-Nice time trial, and the E3 Saxo Bank, just to name a few. He also snatched a 2nd place in Paris-Roubaix, 3rd in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and two victories at the Critérium du Dauphin. If there were any doubts about his talent, Van Aert certainly put them to rest, as he has proven his proficiency in all types of terrains, while winning his first green jersey on the Tour de France. The last Belgian to achieve this feat was Tom Boonen in 2007.
Christophe Laporte
All of the amazing feats described above were only made possible by the sensational support of Christophe Laporte. The veteran French rider had his best season ever at 30 years old. He won a stage in the Paris-Nice race and the Tour de France, but also came out on top in the general classification of the Tour of Denmark. His season ended on a high note, with a brilliant win in the Binche-Chimay-Binche. Overall, Laporte stood out as the best addition to the team in comparison to the 2021 season and demonstrated his talent on cobblestones and sprints.
Olav Kooij
Lastly, we have Olav Kooij. He topped the number of victories out of all riders in the team, with an overall 12 wins. While most of his triumphs took place in Pro category races, he also made his winning debut at the World Tour, where he came in first in the Tour of Poland. He also made several top 10 finishes and stood out as one of the main promises of Jumbo-Visma and professional cycling. He is one to keep an eye on!
A look into the key departures and arrivals
In the coming season, Jumbo retains the leverage to hire new riders according to specific needs and compensate for already announced departures. As of the time of writing, David Dekker has left for Arkéa-Samsic, Pascal Eenkhoorn joined Lotto-Dstny, Chris Harper headed to BikeExchange-Jayco, and Mike Teunissen has integrated the staff of Intermarché-Circus-Wanty. Simultaneously, one of the biggest figures of modern cycling, Tom Dumoulin, had already announced his retirement.
On the way in is Wilco Kelderman, the former Bora–Hansgrohe rider who has extensive experience on the Grand Tours and promises to be a valuable addition to the team. His curriculum shows how vital he can be on summit finishes. Another important newcomer is Dylan Van Baarle, who had one of his best seasons ever in 2022. He came 2nd in the Tour of Flanders and was the hero at Paris-Roubaix. Attila Valter, the Hungarian national road champion, has also joined the team as a specialist in classic races. Nonetheless, he can also prove relevant to help the team in the mountain stages.
Finally, we have Thomas Gloag, a 21-year-old British cyclist, who was previously racing for Trinity Racing. In 2022, he struggled with injuries but managed to snatch an important win at stage four of the Tour de l’Avenir.
Overall, the Dutch team has reinforced the ranks for the 2023 season, and we can even risk saying they are now stronger than they were this time last year. They were able to replace some of their underperforming riders, with experienced and reliable names, which can help them top their 2022 season.
What to expect in 2023?
In 2023, we can see Jumbo aim for some big wins. They are now in a comfortable position to hit the World Tour and have by far the most complete team in the sport. Jonas Vingegaard, Primož Roglič, Wilco Kelderman, and Tobias Foss are all strong contenders at general classifications and podium entries. Foss and Kelderman could be headed for the Italian Giro, while Vingegaard and Roglič are expected to arrive at the Tour de France once again as a super duo. The Slovenian rider is also likely to run the Vuelta later in the year.
For the sprints, they have Olav Kooij, Wout Van Aert, Laporte, and Mick Van Dijke. In addition, the team has a wide variety of riders to race the cobbled classics, including Christophe Laporte, Jan Tratnik, Tosh Van der Sande, and Tiesj Benoot, just to name a few. At the same time, time trials will be left to the current world champion, Tobias Foss, but also Rohan Dennis, Affini, and Kelderman.
Ultimately, it is safe to that if Jumbo-Visma was largely considered one of the strongest teams going into 2022, in 2023 they are certainly going to raise the bar even further.
