UAE Team Emirates-XRG
UAE Team Emirates-XRG is a UCI WorldTour professional cycling team registered in the United Arab Emirates. Managed by Mauro Gianetti, the team emerged in 2017 after taking over the licence of the former Lampre team. Since then, it has grown into a dominant force in stage racing, winning multiple Grand Tours, including several Tour de France titles with Tadej Pogačar.
Full official team name and common short name
The team's full official name is UAE Team Emirates-XRG, commonly referred to as UAE or UAE Team Emirates. UAE is the team identifier.
Team category and status
UAE Team Emirates-XRG holds UCI WorldTeam status, placing them in the top tier of men's professional road cycling. This elite licence provides guaranteed starting rights at every WorldTour event and mandates the team's presence at all five Monument classics and three Grand Tours throughout the season.
What are the primary disciplines of UAE Team Emirates-XRG?
The team concentrates on men's elite road racing, competing across all major race formats, including three-week Grand Tours, one-week stage races, one-day classics, and the prestigious Monument races. Their greatest strength lies in stage racing and mountain stages, where Tadej Pogačar's climbing dominance has proven virtually unbeatable.
Next to the men's team there is also a UAE women teamcompeting at WorldTour level.
Country of registration and base location
The team is registered in the United Arab Emirates and operates its main headquarters and training facilities in the UAE, with additional European service course operations in Italy to support the team's racing logistics across the continent.
Founding year and origin story
The team was founded in 2017 when the UAE government took over sponsorship of the former Lampre-Merida squad, rebranding it as UAE Team Emirates with the ambitious goal of becoming a dominant force in professional cycling and promoting the UAE on the global sporting stage.
Current title sponsor and key partners
The United Arab Emirates serves as title sponsor through various government entities, with XRG (a performance technology company) joining as a co-sponsor in recent years. Colnago supplies the Y1Rs aero road bikes, V4Rs climbing frames, and TT1 time trial machines.
Shimano provides Dura-Ace Di2 electronic groupsets, ENVE manufactures the carbon wheels, Continental furnishes tyres, and the team switched to Fizik saddles for 2026. The team uses cutting-edge performance technology, extensive altitude training camps, and wind tunnel development.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG key achievements
The team has claimed four Tour de France victories with Tadej Pogačar (2020, 2021, 2024, 2025), establishing the Slovenian as the dominant rider of his generation. Pogačar also delivered the 2024 Giro d'Italia victory and completed the rare Giro-Tour double.
Monument success includes multiple Il Lombardia victories with Pogačar, Tour of Flanders wins, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège titles. The team has won the UCI World Tour team classification multiple times and accumulated dozens of WorldTour stage race victories including UAE Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico, and Tour de Suisse.
Pogačar's 2024 and 2025 World Championship road race victory in Zurich and Kigali added the rainbow jersey's to an already dominant palmares.
Notable riders at UAE Team Emirates-XRG
The 2026 roster is built entirely around Slovenian superstar Tadej Pogačar, the most dominant rider in professional cycling and winner of four Tour de France titles (2020, 2021, 2024, 2025), the 2024 Giro d'Italia, the 2024 World Championship, and multiple Monuments.
Ecuadorian Jhonatan Narváez is a versatile stage racer and 2025 Tour Down Under champion, bringing GC experience and fast finishing. Portuguese climber João Almeida provides crucial GC support and can target Grand Tour podiums in his own right, having finished second at the 2025 Vuelta a España.
Spanish climber Marc Soler adds climbing domestique strength and breakaway capabilities across Grand Tours and stage races. British rider Adam Yates brings Grand Tour experience and stage hunting ability, having won the 2023 UAE Tour and consistently placed in the top ten at major races.
American Brandon McNulty offers time trial strength and stage race leadership potential. Spanish talent Juan Ayuso moved to Lidl-Trek for 2026, but the team retains depth with climbers and domestiques capable of supporting Pogačar's ambitions across the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, Monuments, and major stage races. And with Mexican Isaac Del Toro the team might have the new Pogačar already in house.
The roster is designed to provide Pogačar with maximum support whilst offering secondary leaders opportunities when the Slovenian skips races, giving UAE tactical flexibility and multiple cards to play throughout the season.
Leadership and key staff
Mauro Gianetti serves as Team Principal and CEO, overseeing all strategic direction, rider recruitment, and the team's overall vision since taking the reins when UAE government's backing transformed the squad. Javier Sola acts as Head of Performance, responsible for training programmes, performance optimisation, and the scientific approach that has helped elevate Tadej Pogačar to dominance.
José Antonio Fernández serves as both General Manager and Sports Director, managing day-to-day sporting and operational decisions. Joxean Fernández Matxin, known simply as Matxin, acts as a principal sports director with particular responsibility for Pogačar's programme and Grand Tour strategy.
Andrej Hauptman serves as another key assistant sports director with extensive experience managing Pogačar's campaigns. Fabio Baldato brings decades of professional racing experience and tactical expertise to race direction.
Marco Marcato, a former professional with Grand Tour experience, provides crucial tactical input from the team car. Jan Polanc, the former Slovenian professional and Pogačar's compatriot, offers insider knowledge of the team leader's racing style and mentality.
Who are the key alumni of UAE Team Emirates-XRG?
The team's alumni include several significant riders who have moved on to other squads or retired. Fabio Aru, the 2015 Vuelta a España champion, rode for the team during its early years. Diego Ulissi brought multiple stage race victories and Italian champion jerseys during his tenure. Rui Costa, the 2013 World Champion, spent time with the team, contributing stage wins and classics experience.
Alexander Kristoff, Darwin Atapuma, Ben Swift, and Rui Oliveira all contributed to the team's development. Fernando Gaviria brought explosive sprint speed and multiple Grand Tour stage wins before departing. Davide Formolo provided GC support and stage hunting capabilities. Rafał Majka, the two-time Tour de France King of the Mountains winner, rode for UAE before retiring.
More recently, riders like Matteo Trentin, David de la Cruz have moved on to pastures new.