Matxin: “We are ambitious and we want to be number 1 in the individual and team rankings”

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Joxean Fernández Matxin (51 years old) want efficiency. It is not satisfied with having one of the most powerful teams in the peloton, with having riders capable of winning any race. It is not enough to have him in his ranks Tadej Pogacarwant of U.A.E be the overall benchmark in cycling and lead the individual ranking –which it has already done this year with Pogacar– and the team ranking –where they finished second afterJumbo– in 2023. One from Basauri evaluates his team as soon as the year ends, draws the main lines of his training for the next year and surrenders again to three of its pillars: Pogacar, Juan Ayuso and Marc Soler.

What grade do you give the team this 2022 season?

The score to be made will be remarkably high, in terms of results, with 48 victories, we are the team with the most wins, just like Jumbo who tied us. We have been competitive in all the races in which we have participated, only in some we have not been the main characters. And the good thing is that we won with several riders, not just Pogacar. We have Ayuso, Almeida or Soler.

What is missing to set a higher note?

After winning the Tour in the previous two years, this, which we did not do, I cannot give an outstanding because the victory was not obtained.

Looking back, would you have changed anything about the Tour to fight more for Vingegaard’s victory?

Nothing will change and I am one of those who hope. I don’t look back, I look to the future. I am clear that the planning is good, which does not mean that for next year we will try to improve some aspects, especially in the Tour, which for us, after two victories – with Pogacar in 2020 and 2021 – is very important.

It was further said that Pogacar’s planning was not good.

These are still situations that generate all kinds of opinions. Obviously for better or for worse we did not experience the situation of the first Pogacar Tour, in 2020, when he was 2nd overall and in the time trial on the penultimate day he had a great day and Roglic lost. There hasn’t been a bad day for Vingegaard this year. They are race circumstances and you have to fight not to repeat them and be regular, when you have a bad day, especially in the Tour, you pay for it and it lasts.

Did Vingegaard surprise you?

Surprise, no. We knew what he was capable of last year – he finished 2nd. We know this is one of the runners we should get to know better, maybe watch first.

What changes have you introduced to the team for 2023?

We have made the programs very personalized and individualized, for Pogacar and for the other members of the team, to arrive at the best conditions for the Tour. The Tour is very important, it is the race with the most importance, but not the only one. We will enjoy a peak in the form of riders until the Giro, with a second peak until the Tour and another after. We have to be competitive in all three races. We have important riders for all of them and we want to turn that leadership into success.

How do you share the cyclists in the races and make them happy?

This is the best kept secret and the aspect where we must refine everything. We have to make a calendar according to each, balance to ensure that all the cyclists have a good balance in the sport and then there are others who go to the Tour to work for Pogacar, and thus distribute the riders throughout year. Everyone will have their personal sports space, and it is clear to me that the collective will prevail. We have to be demanding and demand that we fight for absolute victory in the races in which we compete. Today, we don’t need to be obsessed and we need to gain the necessary confidence.

That of young Ayuso to be 3rd in the Vuelta? Did they expect this?

Yes and no. We expected an important performance, in fact from the beginning of the Vuelta he was left to do so, but we did not know the extent of his performance. We don’t know what his career position is. We know he should be in the top 10 and he has the capacity for a top 5, and more than this position it also depends on the rivals. In the end, he gave a little more maturity and consistency than he did, considering that he has not run a race for more than nine days since the Giro d’Italia sub23 – in 2021 where he won the general classification, he the best young man, the king of the mountains and the green jersey- and we don’t want to put more pressure on him because of his youth (20 years).

Juan has already said he wants to return to the Vuelta next year.

Yes, in principle it is in the Vuelta.

What do you think of Marc Soler’s first year with the team?

It has been exceptional. For me, Marc is a very important rider, inside and outside the race. He is not only important in competitions, but also in the team, tactically, because of his friendliness with his teammates and his willingness to work.

The same Marc could return to Italy in 2023 to try to attack the Giro.

Sometimes when you talk about leading a team, it doesn’t mean just telling the rider that they have to win a race, sometimes it means being a leader like that. And when he has an opportunity he takes it and when he doesn’t he takes it in his stages. He is a very important rider for us and we showed him that.

Tour de France 2023 route, is it going well for Pogacar?

Yes, obviously some races or routes with more time trials are always good for him, but the route is what it is and it is for everyone and we know it from the beginning. We have to adapt.

What can we expect from the UAE next year?

We want to be more ambitious and I want to not only be the best in the world on an individual level, but also on a collective level. This is an important goal and every time we try to strengthen the team.

Following the World Cup in Qatar, were there any problems with any riders or compromising incidents around the team because it was sponsored by the United Arab Emirates?

Of life. No one has commented on anything. What’s more, when we go with runners in Dubai, they love it and are passionate about it. There is the utmost respect for cycling and people. Our goal is to keep a project open and with a future.

And, apart from the aforementioned riders, which other cyclists from the UAE should we be following in 2023?

For many, the truth. Everyone is talking about Adam Yates –signed this year and until 205 from Ineos-, but I think Felix Grobschartner will be very important, as well as Tim Wellens –arrived from Lotto Soudal and signed until 2024– , which I hope will be important in pavé, or Jay Vine –signed from Alpecin until 2024.

Source: La Verdad

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