Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates-XRG head into the new season looking to maintain the relentless success of 2025.
It was a year of total domination for both rider and team. Pogacar cemented his status as a global superstar by winning a fourth Tour de France crown in six years, a first Criterium du Dauphine title as well as securing three Monuments along the way.
For UAE Team Emirates, the season was defined by a historic 97 victories, the most ever achieved by a team in a single campaign, surpassing a record that had stood for more than a decade. Alongside those wins came 56 podium finishes, with 20 riders contributing victories across the year.
The team’s achievements were also acknowledged beyond the win columns. Spanish sport outlet Marca recognised UAE Team Emirates-XRG as Best International Team, while Pogacar was named Best International Male Athlete, reflecting the impact of their record-breaking season.
“I've even surpassed my dreams,” Pogacar told Marca in an interview last week. “I've set my goals higher than I ever imagined. I'm very happy to be where I am right now and very proud of what I've achieved.”
When asked how he would score the 2025 season out of 10, the Slovenian replied: “Very close to 10.”
Team principal and CEO, Mauro Gianetti, said of the team award: “This reflects not only what we achieved in 2025, but the collective efforts of our riders, staff, and partners, who worked tirelessly all year.
“Being recognised beyond the world of cycling shows the scale of our achievements, and it motivates us even more as we look ahead to 2026. We are incredibly proud to represent the UAE on the global stage and can’t wait to kick-start the new season.”
In 2026, Isaac Del Toro is expected to lead the team at the UAE Tour – which starts on February 16 – carrying the responsibility after Pogacar triumphed on home soil for a third time last season.
“Maybe he's going to be better than me one day,” Pogacar said recently of his Mexican teammate. “He has his own way, his own style, and I admire him as a rider and a person and hope he keeps going that way.”
For the 27-year-old Slovenian, the target will once again be the biggest races on the calendar, with Milano-Sanremo, Paris-Roubaix, and the Tour de France firmly in focus.
The reigning world champion outlined his plans last month, making clear the Paris-Roubaix – a race he finished second at in 2025 and is known as the 'Hell of the North' – is high on the agenda.
When asked if he had to choose between winning Paris-Roubaix – which takes place on April 12 – for the first time or a fifth Tour title, Pogacar said: “I would choose Roubaix because I already won the Tour four times, and if you win four or five, it is not … I think it's a bigger difference between zero and one than four and five.”
Pogacar is set to begin his campaign with the Strade Bianche on March 7 followed by the Milano-Sanremo on March 21 – the latter race is another all-too-rare omission from his glittering CV.
In the past four editions, Pogacar has consistently finished in the top five – including two third-places – but has fallen short of victory.
Last week, footage emerged on social media of Pogacar on a reconnaissance mission testing himself out on the iconic Poggio climb ahead of the Spring Classic.
The Tour champion can join an elite clique of five-time winners alongside Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain and Jacques Anquetil in the race that starts in Barcelona on July 4.
“The Tour de France of course is the biggest race, everybody always arrives ready, teams always send their best team and you have to be super ready,” he said at a pre-season training camp at Benidorm in Spain.
“But if I won Roubaix and San Remo, I would feel sort of complete, but there's always something else, like The Vuelta, I haven't won that either.”
And in ominous warning to his rivals, Pogacar told L'Equipe last month that his focus and motivation remains strong. “There's always room for improvement, to see how I can be even better, how far I can go,” he said.
“So it's not very difficult to stay motivated, even more so when you know I have a long contract with my team and many years ahead of me. And when you have good results, motivation comes easily. It's more complicated when you don't win much or at all.”
