Tadej Pogačar will ride for UAE Team Emirates until at least 2030, it was announced on Thursday afternoon. The Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and world champion already had a contract until 2027, but his new deal gives him one of the longest in the peloton.
The Slovenian had one of the all-time years in 2024, winning 25 times in just 58 days races, including the "Triple Crown" of the Tour, Giro and World Championships, and two Monuments in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Il Lombardia.
"I am extremely proud to be extending my time here at UAE Team Emirates," Pogačar said in a release from his squad on Thursday. "This team has been my home now the last five years and I truly can’t imagine myself anywhere else. The best moments of my career have come at UAE Team Emirates and that is a testament to all of the staff, management, teammates, and partners who all allow me to perform at the highest level.
"I’m really excited for the future. This team gives me the best chance at fighting for wins and that is exactly what I aim to do"
The 26-year-old joined the team in 2019 and hit the ground running, winning the Tour of California and three stages of the Vuelta a España, as well as finishing third overall, in his first year. Since then, he has racked up a total of 88 wins, the overwhelming majority of which have been at WorldTour level.
"It’s an incredible feeling to be able to announce this contract extension for Tadej Pogacar, the leader of our team and the best cyclist in the world," Mauro Gianetti, UAE's team boss, said. "Tadej joined the team as an ambitious 20-year-old, and we have watched him blossom into a Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, and World Champion this season. His talent is clear for all to see, but he is also one of the hardest-working and dedicated cyclists in the peloton.
"Tadej deserves all of his success and I’m delighted he is staying with us for many years to come."
Pogačar's plan for 2025 remains unknown, but he's highly likely to be defending his Tour de France title, and has hinted at challenging at the Vuelta, now the only Grand Tour he hasn't won. Before those, he could well take aim at the Spring Classics once again.
The Slovenian is not alone in having a long contract. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) have contracts that run until 2029, while the UAE team of 2029 already has Pogačar, Isaac del Toro and Pablo Torres signed up. Meanwhile, Wout van Aert has a contract without an official end-date with Visma-Lease a Bike, which is a different way of doing business.
