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With the conclusion of the Tour of Guangxi, the road cycling season has come to an end. It has been an exciting season that has brought us great moments and spectacular duels. As is tradition in Cycling Fantasy, we are going to review the 10 cyclists who, in our opinion, have been the most outstanding of the year. Let's get into our top 10!

1. Tadej Pogačar

The most complete cyclist of today. Winner of Paris-Nice at the beginning of the season, Pogačar had a spectacular spring classics season with victories in Ronde Van Vlaanderen, Amstel Gold Race, and La Flèche Wallonne. His crash at Liège-Bastogne-Liège (in which he was the top favorite) affected his Tour de France, where he was still the biggest rival to Jonas Vingegaard, finishing second in the general classification and winning two stages. After the Tour, Pogačar would still reach the podium in the Road World Championships and win his third consecutive Il Lombardia. The Pog show from February to October.

2. Demi Vollering

The absolute consolidation season for Vollering, proving that she is the natural heir to her team manager, Anna Van Der Breggen. Winner of Strade Bianche and Dwars door Vlaanderen at the beginning of the season, Vollering’s first major moment came in the Ardennes, where she achieved a historic triple by winning all three races (Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège). Second in La Vuelta Femenina and Itzulia Women, Vollering returned to victory in Vuelta a Burgos before claiming her most notable victory of the year, her first Tour de France Femmes.

3. Jonas Vingegaard

The strongest Grand Tour rider in the world. This 2023, Vingegaard won the Tour de France for the second time in a row, proving that las year’s victory was no coincidence. Additionally, Vingegaard also won the Itzulia Basque Country and the Critérium du Dauphiné and finished second in the Vuelta Ciclista a España, just behind his teammate Sepp Kuss.

4. Lotte Kopecky

Lotte Kopecky is the best classics specialist in the women's peloton, but she's more than just that, as demonstrated by her second-place finish in the Tour de France Femmes. Among Kopecky's most important victories this season are the World Road Championship and the Ronde Van Vlaanderen, along with wins at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Danilith Nokere Koerse, and the stage races International LOTTO Thüringen Ladies Tour and Simac Ladies Tour. Pure power.

5. Mathieu Van Der Poel

The grandson of Raymond Poulidor is the best one-day race specialist of today. Winner of two monuments (Milano-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix) and the World Road Championship, Van Der Poel is a lethal rider when he sets his sights on a goal. A cyclist with the magic of the great champions.

6. Remco Evenepoel

The young Belgian continues to make strides as the superstar he is. This year he won his second consecutive Liège-Bastogne-Liège and became the Time Trial World Champion. He also won two stages in the Giro d'Italia and three in the Vuelta Ciclista a España, where he also claimed the best climber jersey. Although this jersey wasn't his pre-race goal, Evenepoel showed he could adapt to the circumstances and shine even when not the strongest.

7. Primoz Roglič

The Slovenian cyclist secured his first Giro d'Italia this year, which added to his three Vuelta Ciclista a España wins, makes it his fourth Grand Tour victory. Additionally, Roglič won Volta a Catalunya, Tirreno-Adriatico, and Vuelta a Burgos, proving to be one of the strongest in one-week races. He bids farewell to Jumbo-Visma in style.

8. Annemiek Van Vleuten

In her final season as a professional cyclist, Van Vleuten won La Vuelta Femenina, the Giro d'Italia Donne, and the Tour of Scandinavia, proving why she is one of the greatest cyclists of all time. We will miss her!

9. Sepp Kuss

The most important domestique in the world received an unexpected reward by winning the Vuelta Ciclista a España. Kuss raced all three Grand Tours this year and was crucial to the victories of Primoz Roglič in the Giro d'Italia and Jonas Vingegaard in the Tour de France. These two teammates joined him on the podium of the Vuelta, marking a historic triple for Team Jumbo-Visma. A spectacular achievement for a charismatic cyclist who is easy to love.

10. Lorena Wiebes

The best sprinter in current women's cycling and the third rider from Team SD Worx to appear in this ranking. Wiebes achieved 12 victories this year, 9 of them in UCI Women's WorldTour races, including the Miron Ronde Van Drenthe and stages in both the Tour de France Femmes and the Giro d'Italia Donne.

Photo: © Flanders Classics