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2023 Cycling Season in Statistics: Belgians Shine in Every Aspect

The year 2023 treated us to a multitude of unforgettable cycling moments, both in the men's and women's categories. However, as heroic performances fade away, what remains are the raw numbers that will etch this year into the annals of cycling history.

Most Victories (Individual)

Jasper Philipsen's scintillating final sprints, both literal and metaphorical, earned him the title of the King of Victories, a feat that transcended national boundaries. Meanwhile, Colombian rider Miguel Angel Lopez secured 19 victories, though they were predominantly at a lower level in South America.

Philipsen's impressive tally denied Tadej Pogacar a hat-trick. The Slovenian had been the King of Victories in 2021 (shared) and 2022, but this year, he notched up 17 wins.

It's worth noting that Philipsen's 19 victories rank remarkably high, a feat not seen since 2015 when Alexander Kristoff celebrated 20 wins.

Amongst the women, Lotte Kopecky narrowly missed out on the title of Queen of Victories. Her 14 wins were second only to her teammate Demi Vollering's 17. Kopecky, however, achieved her 14 triumphs in just 34 race days, while Vollering's came over 47 days in the saddle.

Most Victories (Men)

1. Jasper Philipsen: 19

2. Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia) 17

3. Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark) 15

4. Primoz Roglic (Slovenia) 15

5. Remco Evenepoel: 13

6. Olav Kooij (Netherlands): 11

7. Tim Merlier: 10

8. Arnaud De Lie: 10

22. Wout van Aert: 5

Most Victories (Women)

1. Demi Vollering (Netherlands) 17

2. Lotte Kopecky 14

3. Charlotte Kool (Netherlands) 13

4. Lorena Wiebes (Netherlands) 12Most Team Victories

The standout team of the year undoubtedly belongs to SD Worx. The squad, led by Vollering and Kopecky, amassed a staggering 61 victories, all this with only 16 riders.

To provide some perspective on this dominance, the second-place team in the same list, Movistar, had to settle for a "mere" 20 victories in 2023.

In the men's category, it was a bit more competitive, but Jumbo-Visma stood out as the clear winner. In the Tour of Guangxi, the Dutch team sprinted to a total of 69 wins.

In the second and third spots, we find UAE with 57 victories and Soudal-Quick Step. The Wolfpack still secured 55 victories, despite having a somewhat "lesser" year. UAE, based on points, claimed the WorldTour ranking title.

Bringing up the rear among the WorldTour teams is Arkéa-Samsic. Thanks to three late wins, including one from summer transfer Arnaud Démare, they managed to barely reach double-digit victories.

Most Team Victories (Men)

1. Jumbo-Visma 69

2. UAE 57

3. Soudal-Quick Step 55

4. Ineos 36

5. Alpecin-Deceuninck 35

10. Lotto-Dstny 21

11. Intermarché-Circus-Wanty 20

Most Team Victories (Women)

1. SD Worx 61

2. Movistar 20

3. FDJ-Suez 19

4. DSM-Firmenich 18

11. AG Insurance-Soudal-Quick Step 9

22. Fenix-Deceuninck 4

Most Race Days

Taking it easy is not in Luis Leon Sanchez's vocabulary. He went all out to savor as many moments as possible in his final year as a professional cyclist, lining up at the start line a remarkable 90 times.

This remarkable feat is not new for the tenacious Spaniard, who perennially tops this list, even in 2019 when he led the pack with the most race days.

Taking the third spot in this ranking is the first Belgian, Lennert Teugels. Thomas De Gendt held the record for the most race days last year with 89, and now Teugels claims that honor.

Notable Achievements

• One rider, Magnus Sheffield from Ineos, completed all five cycling monuments - Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and the Tour of Lombardy. Sheffield joins an exclusive group, and at his young age, he's the second youngest to do so.

• Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel both secured victories in two monuments. Pogacar triumphed in the Tour of Lombardy and the Tour of Flanders, while Van der Poel's wins came in Milan-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix. This is a remarkable achievement, as never before have two riders each won two monuments in a single year.

• Jasper Philipsen emerged as the King of Victories with 19 wins, including 7 one-day races. Philipsen shares another record with Arnaud De Lie for achieving this feat.

• Remco Evenepoel secured the 5th spot in the victory standings with 13 wins, and remarkably, 12 of them were in the WorldTour, setting a new record. His 13th victory, the only one not in the WorldTour, came at the Belgian National Road Race Championship. Additionally, he finished second a record 12 times.

• Dries De Bondt, who was a constant presence in the attacks at the Ronde van Guangxi, clinched the title of Escape King of 2023 by spending 1,727 kilometres ahead of the peloton, slightly more than Mattia Bais and Ceriel Desal.

Sources: Sporza, ProCyclingstats, CQRanking, Cycling Statistics