Pro cycling teams 2026: does UAE Team Emirates XRG complete the wishlist?
As the 2026 cycling season gets underway, WielerFlits takes a closer look at the key teams in the peloton. In the series Cycling Teams 2026, we introduce these squads based on their transfers, rosters, and goals. Today, it’s UAE Team Emirates XRG’s turn. What can we expect from Tadej Pogacar, Isaac Del Toro, and Joao Almeida?
Looking Back on 2025
What can we say about UAE Emirates XRG’s 2025 season? The team was dominant, racking up nearly one hundred wins, including victories at the Tour de France, Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and the Giro di Lombardia. A perfect ten, you might say. Yet the team itself aims even higher.
The only criticism you might have is that they could have won even more. João Almeida finished second in the Vuelta a España, while Isaac Del Toro lost the Giro d’Italia on the penultimate day. Almeida did win three major week-long stage races: the Tour of the Basque Country, the Tour de Suisse, and the Tour of Romandie.
Transfers
On paper, UAE Emirates XRG has weakened with the departure of Juan Ayuso, but the team itself won’t see it that way. Calm has returned for now with the Spaniard signing for Lidl-Trek. Rafal Majka has retired, while the team has brought in a big-name rider in Benoit Cosnefroy. Adrià Pericas has been promoted from the development squad, and Kevin Vermaerke joins from Picnic PostNL.
Ambitions
- Win 100 races with the team
- Win the Tour de France with Tadej Pogacar
- Win as many Monuments as possible with Tadej Pogacar, preferably Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix
- Win the Giro d’Italia with Joao Almeida
- Win WorldTour classifications with Isaac Del Toro
Our Expectations
Raymond Kerckhoffs (WielerFlits reporter): "In 2025, the dominance of UAE Emirates XRG became clear. With 97 victories and the number one spot in the UCI rankings, the team led by captain Tadej Pogacar stood head and shoulders above the rest. With Pogacar, the team has the best rider of this generation, who also lifts the other riders."
"Look at the emerging talents. The 22-year-old Isaac Del Toro should never have lost the Giro last year. Jan Christen (21) already won the Alula Tour this year. Then there are also Antonio Morgado (22), Adrià Pericas (19), and Pablo Torres (20). The balance between youth and experience is well maintained."
"I expect Pogacar to reign again. Del Toro will take further steps in ‘Pogi’s’ shadow. Joao Almeida is, to me, the challenger to Jonas Vingegaard in the Giro. Meanwhile, riders like Jay Vine, Pavel Sivakov, Adam Yates, Jhonatan Narvaez, and Tim Wellens are established names who also claim their wins. In short, a top team rarely seen in cycling."
