A record-breaking year for UAE Team Emirates got even better on Thursday when it was announced star rider Tadej Pogacar has committed his future to the team by signing a new six-year contract.
It comes following an astounding season for the world’s most dominant cycling team and the preeminent rider of his generation.
Pogacar, 25, has continued to cement his legacy as an all-time great, becoming only the third male in history to win cycling’s triple crown of the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and World Championships in the same year. In all, the Slovenian claimed 25 victories this year in what could be regarded as the greatest season in history, certainly of this century.
History was made, too, by UAE Team Emirates, with an unprecedented 20 different riders achieving race and stage wins this season for a total of 81 victories. To put their collective dominance into perspective, the next best team, Lidl-Trek, managed 42 wins.
It makes perfect sense, then, that the best team and cyclist on the planet – who topped the respective season-ending UCI world rankings by runaway distances reminiscent of a Pogacar breakaway – extend their relationship to 2030.
“It was really not a hard decision because I feel really good at UAE Team Emirates,” Pogacar told The National at an event at Abu Dhabi Cycling Club to celebrate the team’s season. “The team is always growing and improving, so it’s hard to look outside of here and find a better team where I would feel more comfortable, so it was a really easy decision.”
Pogacar’s new contract means the three-time Tour de France champion will eventually spend 12 years with UAE Team Emirates, in which time he has transformed from talented teenager to generational superstar. Ominously for his rivals, he should just be entering his prime, and with the guarantee of his future secured.
“It’s a nice thing that you can stay at one team for a long time,” Pogacar said. “It just makes it easier for the team and the rider because we know each other and makes you feel more comfortable. If you change team from year to year, you can miss that improvement and maybe not settle at one team, so I’m very happy I can stay so long here.”
The delight is most certainly mutual, with UAE Team Emirates president Matar Suhail Al Yabhouni Al Dhaheri praising Pogacar for his pivotal role both in the team’s historic success and in driving interest in cycling across the Emirates.
“This is a special moment for the team and for cycling here in the UAE. Tadej is an incredible talent that represents the UAE so amazingly,” Al Dhaheri said. “He is a beacon of inspiration for the next generation and is idolised and loved by so many. It has been a privilege watching him develop into the person he is today, and I couldn’t be prouder of what he’s accomplished for our team.
“As we continue to see our sport go from strength to strength across the region, there is no question that Tadej, alongside his teammates, are a massive reason for this. It’s a special day for cycling and we are so excited for the future.”
Focusing on the future is very much Pogacar’s mindset, instead of reveling in past success. While he describes his third Tour de France title as “special” – after successive runner-up finishes – and the Giro triumph as “one of the highlights of my career”, the Slovenian pays little attention to the many records he has accumulated over the years.
“There is no time for that,” he said. “I just need to keep moving forward, not backward, so we enjoy the moment and continue to look to the future, not the past.”
That future, for both Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates, now looks brighter than ever.
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