UAE Emirates XRG on record pace, Soudal Quick-Step still without win

With twelve victories, UAE Emirates XRG already seems firmly on track to approach the milestone of a hundred wins. And that’s with their leader Tadej Pogačar not even having started his season yet. At Soudal Quick-Step, on the other hand, the tally is still at zero, something The Wolfpack has never had to wait this long for before.

Admittedly, due to Tim Merlier’s injury, the Belgian squad is missing its most reliable multiple winner. Possibly the fastest man in the peloton could have already scored in the AlUla Tour and the Tour of Oman, but knee problems have kept him sidelined for now. The team’s other sprinter, Paul Magnier, has only raced once so far and finished second on that occasion.

Victories Soudal - Quick Step over the years up to and including February 16.

"Of course it’s frustrating,” CEO Jurgen Foré admits honestly to Het Laatste Nieuws. “We are a team that loves to win. And when we don’t, we also have to be willing to acknowledge it. Winning makes everything a bit more comfortable. So this is not our usual norm," he laughs. Then he adds shortly after: "We are, for what it’s worth right now of course, also eighth in the UCI Team Ranking. It’s not like we’re not working hard."

So far, nonetheless, we can speak of the weakest start to the season ever for Soudal Quick-Step. However, it can quickly turn around: Magnier will line up on Wednesday for the Tour of Algarve, where several chances for a stage win are expected. Incidentally, Foré’s team is not the only WorldTour squad without a victory: Bahrain Victorious, EF Education-EasyPost, and Picnic PostNL are also still waiting for their first win of the season.

At UAE Emirates XRG, only happy faces are seen for now. The team already has twelve wins, while at the same time last year they were stuck at seven. That inevitably fuels the dream of a season with a hundred victories. But the engine must not stop for a moment.

The win count among WorldTour teams up to and including February 16, 2026: