There is a feeling that assails you whenever you exchange a few words with Joxean Fernández MatxinTeam Manager of UAE Team Emirates, and it has to do with the feeling of order and control that he exercises in everything he does. A feeling that is supported by expressions such as "as planned", "as established" or "as agreed".
A sensation that is transferred to the facts when you listen to the method Matxin works with in the bosom of a team, UAE Team Emirates, which aims to end up being the best in the world..
For Matxin the work at these levelsWhen the margin is narrow, because you're very high up, implies reaching excellenceor, in other words, perfection. But of course, we are talking about something that, although it sounds round, it is still subjective.
"When I talk about perfection, I mean that our cyclists win, yes, but that they also feel valued and loved by the fans, that our image corresponds to the values that our sponsors are looking for, that every good moment is not the result of chance, but of a measured and distributed work among those people who give their best to make it happen," Matxin starts commenting from the UAE Team Emirates training camp at the beginning of the campaign.
Gobik at UAE Team Emirates or dressing the best in the world
A virtuous circle that is not easy to close. But it is possible, is to surround yourself with the best actors in their field and make them vibrate as an orchestra does.. A powerful, motivated and recognized staff, and first class collaborators at all levels, also in sensitive issues such as clothing, and that's where it comes into play. Gobik.
“I know Gobik for about six yearsI've known them for about six years, more or less when they were at Lampre, and since then we've followed their evolution very closely. Theirs is not only an eye-catching product, it also offers quality at the highest level and in a way they are like us, with the motto of nonconformism as a flag. We're talking about high performance, and in the end it's not the same thing to compete with something you like or don't like," Matxin continues.
And the task is not easy, we are talking about putting skin on the backs of some of the best cyclists in the world in a year where the premise is not to arrive, but to stay.
Matxin's aces
Asked about his trump cards, Matxin does not hide his satisfaction for the quiet winter that "the surreal situation of the pandemic has given Tadej Pogacar. In the end he's had fewer events and commitments than in any other year, and he's been grateful for that in the form of rest," he says. He's going to need rest, UAE Team Emirates has scheduled the defense of the Tour and the assault on the Vuelta.
For Matxin, therefore, the key to success, to perfection, also lies in the number of races to which he goes with an asset. That's why Pogacar is well surrounded. Alexander Kristoff, "a cyclist with great generosity", will continue for the spring and Matteo Trentin will arrive. At the finish, the hope is to recover the best version of Fernando Gaviria, "a rider who on a scale of 10 is a 12, but who must return to his former self".
And in mixed terrain, a big signing, Marc Hirschi, whose acquisition was closed around Epiphany, being the first big cycling news of the year: "We already saw him in the Tour. He fulfills everything we are looking for, he is young, ambitious and with a lot of engine. It's clear that in the Tour, the number one jersey is sacred, but Marc has a long way to go during the season".
His signing takes the pressure off Diego Ulissi, the second cyclist in terms of results after Pogacar, although he is suffering from heart problems which, according to the latest medical reports, seem surmountable.
In short, the year of confirmation, a Herculean challenge with many rivals along the way. For UAE Team
Emirates that wears Gobikwhere Matxin contributes with his work, the time has come to reach perfection..
