2023 season review - Emmanuel Hubert: "A first season of learning in the UCI WorldTour".
With ten wins to its name, the Arkéa-Samsic team finished the 2023 season ranked 19th in the world. Emmanuel Hubert, General Manager, takes stock of the past sporting year.
“There were some good things achieved this season, with 10 wins, a sign of continuity compared to previous seasons, as the team is in the top half of the table in terms of the number of victories it has achieved. These victories were achieved in particular by young riders with great potential, such as Kévin Vauquelin and Luca Mozzato. There was also the emergence of some very promising young riders in the shape of Jenthe Biermans and Arnaud Demare, who joined us on 1 August 2023 and managed to score twice at the end of the season after just a few weeks with us. Clément Champoussin is back on the road to success in 2023, but he can still do much better if he realises his enormous potential.
We opted for youth this season, for Year 1 in the UCI WorldTour, and our young riders have learnt a lot in the space of a few months. Mathis Le Berre and Ewen Costiou were able to fit into the mould of our team, but above all they were able to show themselves, to be in front on many occasions, without having any complexes. They showed boldness, a characteristic that is, and must remain, our identity. In terms of victories, it’s true that we’ve yet to win a Grand Tour. We came close again this year in both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France, while in the Vuelta Ciclista a España, where the level of competition was as high as in the Tour de France, Cristián Rodríguez finished 13th overall.
There are a number of areas for improvement in 2024, starting with our UCI ranking. We finished 19th this year. The smoothed ranking is established over three seasons, so we still have two more to climb the hierarchy and ensure our survival. As for the future, we’ve been working on it with the creation next year of a continental development team. It will be the crucible for UCI WorldTour training, with a strong project around these young athletes. We are offering them the opportunity to continue their studies. The aim is to enable them to secure a post-career future. The Arkéa-Samsic team, which will become ARKEA-B&B HOTELS in 2024, will be a major force in the professional ranks at UCI WorldTour men’s level, in the men’s continental development and in the women’s continental development. I would like to thank Samsic, who will remain with us next year, for their support, while renewing my welcome to B&B HOTELS. The 2023 season is now over, with this year having taught us a lot. Now it’s time to look ahead to 2024, with a strong desire and a recruitment drive that should enable us to regain a place in the UCI WorldTour in line with our ambitions. Boldness must be our philosophy in all competitions, whether in our men’s or women’s structures.”