Deceuninck-QuickStep have racked up a phenomenal 39 victories in this shortened season to finish as the most successful team in terms of wins, but they could yet be pipped by Dutch rival Jumbo-Visma in the UCI's official WorldTour team rankings once the final points have been counted and published this week.
While everyone's been busy watching the results of the presidential election in the USA, the honour of being crowned 2020's best men's professional cycling team could prove to be even closer between the two teams. On November 3, Deceuninck-QuickStep had 9,736.16 points, while Jumbo-Visma were second with 8,565 points, according to the UCI.
Jumbo-Visma are yet to be attributed the 850 points for Primož Roglič's overall Vuelta a España victory on Sunday, as well as him winning the green points jersey, which will net a further 100 points. In addition, Roglič will have received another 20 points per day since November 3 for having led the Vuelta.
However, various minor placings on the stages and in the jersey classifications have yet to be tallied, which could prove to make things considerably closer. Roglič finished second on stage 16 on Friday, while Deceuninck-QuickStep's Sam Bennett finished second on the final stage in Madrid on Sunday – which will earn both teams a further 40 points each.
By Cyclingnews' very rudimentary reckoning – and in reality we'll have to leave it to the UCI to run all the numbers through their super-computers – Deceuninck-QuickStep could have earned around 130 more points since November 3, while Jumbo-Visma could have added about 10 times that: roughly 1,300 points.
That would bring it right down to the wire, possibly in Deceuninck-QuickStep's favour by just a point or two. Both teams would be deserving winners, with Jumbo-Visma having scored big at Grand Tours with Roglič's Vuelta victory and his second place at the Tour de France, as well as his victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, while the team's also encroached onto Deceuninck-QuickStep's Classics territory with Wout van Aert's wins at Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo and his second place at the Tour of Flanders.
But whatever the final result, Deceuninck-QuickStep boss Patrick Lefevere is extremely happy with his haul of 39 wins for this year, which included Julian Alaphilippe's World Championships road race, Brabantse Pijl and Tour de France stage victories, Remco Evenepoel's stage victories and overall wins at the Vuelta a San Juan, Volta ao Algarve, Vuelta a Burgos and Tour de Pologne, and Sam Bennett's two Tour de France stage wins and victory on stage 4 of the Vuelta a España.
"We faced many hurdles, from the pandemic that turned everything upside down to the numerous injuries that plagued our team, but we kept fighting, believing and making the most out of every situation," Lefevere said in a press release on Sunday evening after the final stage of the Vuelta brought the curtain down on the 2020 season.
"That's why I want to congratulate everybody – riders, staff and sponsors – who worked hard so that we could stay at the top. This superb achievement is a testament to the team's unique mentality and DNA," he said.
