Tadej Pogacar signs new five-year contract with UAE Team Emirates

Team chairman Matar Suhail Al Yabhouni says UAE Tour champion is 'our present and our future'

Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates celebrates on the podium after winning the 2021 UAE Tour. AFP

Tadej Pogacar with the victorious UAE Team Emirates. BettiniPhoto©2021

Tadej Pogacar won the UAE Tour on Saturday. BettiniPhoto©2021

Australian Caleb Ewan, of Lotto Soudal, won the seventh and final stage of the UAE Tour. AFP

The pack ride during the seventh stage of the UAE Tour from Yas Mall to Abu Dhabi Breakwater. AFP

The pack ride during the seventh stage of the UAE Tour from Yas Mall to Abu Dhabi Breakwater. AFP

Emirati boys wave the national flag as the pack ride during the seventh stage. AFP

The pack ride during the seventh stage of the UAE Tour. AFP

UAE Team Emirates rider Tadej Pogacar won the 2021 UAE Tour. AFP

The pack ride during the seventh stage of the UAE Tour. AFP

Riders during the seventh and final stage of the UAE Tour. AFP

Australian Caleb Ewan, of Lotto Soudal, crosses the finish line of the seventh stage. AFP

Tadej Pogacar’s contract with the UAE Team Emirates was extended through to 2026 after the Slovenian signed a new five-year deal, it was announced on Tuesday.

This comes after the 2020 Tour de France winner began the new season with victory in the UAE Tour. Even so, a five-year contract extension in the world of cycling is almost unheard of.

“Tadej is our present and our future,” Matar Suhail Al Yabhouni, chairman of UAE Team Emirates, said.

“He is a rider who was able to win the Tour de France despite his young age and still managed to handle the pressure of such a great success.

“He showed great poise and determination to win the UAE Tour, a race that is growing year after year and is of obvious importance to us. I am sure that we will continue to achieve important successes together going forward.”

Having clinched his first victory of the season at the UAE Tour, Pogacar, 22, is excited about the years ahead.

“I feel at home in this team; there is a special atmosphere between the management, riders and staff and it’s a good environment to be in,” he said.

“The team shows a lot of trust and confidence in me which I am thankful for, and I work hard to show that when I’m racing alongside my teammates. I hope we can have many more successful seasons together in the years ahead.”

Mauro Gianetti, Team Principal and CEO, added: “We are happy to announce the further extension of Tadej’s contract with us.

“He strongly believes in our project as we do in his abilities. It is already the third time we’ve extended his contract which shows his commitment to the project we are building here at UAE Team Emirates.

“We are creating a real group, united, with an atmosphere that I don’t remember in all my years in cycling. I am particularly proud of this.”

It has been a whirlwind few days for Pogacar. The Slovenian underlined his superstar status with victory in the UAE Tour at Abu Dhabi Breakwater on Saturday.

Runner-up behind Adam Yates 12 months ago, the Slovenian made amends by claiming the lead in the third stage this year and then successfully defending it for the remainder of the seven-stage WorldTour race.