# UAE Team Emirates XRG

UAE Team Emirates XRG (UCI team code: UAD) is an Emirati road bicycle racing team. The team competes at UCI WorldTeam level and has done so since the UCI World Tour was formed as the top category of road cycling in 2005.
Since becoming UAE Team Emirates in 2018, the team has won the Tour de France three times and the Giro d'Italia once, with Slovenian rider Tadej Pogačar. Pogačar has also won the monuments of Giro di Lombardia (4 times), Liège–Bastogne–Liège (2 times) and Tour of Flanders for the team.

## History

The team was established in 2017 as UAE Abu Dhabi before being renamed UAE Team Emirates in 2018. It is sponsored by the UAE government and the team has achieved notable success in various prestigious races, including stage wins and overall victories in Grand Tours (the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and Vuelta a España) and one-day races.The team was temporarily suspended from the ProTour in 2010, missing one ProTour event.

### Transition from an Italian-based team
#### Chinese involvement

In August 2016 the team (then called Lampre-Merida) confirmed that its WorldTeam licence was being transferred from CGS Cycling to Chinese company TJ Sport Consultation, with the team becoming the first Chinese WorldTour team from 2017. Former Saunier Duval–Prodir team manager Mauro Gianetti was announced as the co-ordinator for the project.
In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport the following month, Saronni confirmed that he and CGS Cycling would continue to manage the team on TJ Sport's behalf, and that the team's bicycles would be supplied by Colnago. He indicated that the project was being co-ordinated by the Chinese government via TJ Sport with involvement from a number of Chinese companies including Alibaba, and that its aim was to develop Chinese cycling and riders.
When the UCI awarded 17 WorldTour licences to teams in November, it announced that TJ Sport's application was "under review" by its Licensing Commission. According to Saronni, the reason for the delay was that the head of the TJ Sport project, Li Zhiqiang, had fallen seriously ill, which prevented funding for the project from being confirmed.

#### Emirati rescue

As a result, the team looked elsewhere for sponsorship, securing funding from the United Arab Emirates and changing its name to UAE Abu Dhabi. The UCI confirmed the team's WorldTour licence on 20 December. In February 2017, the team announced that airline Emirates had signed on with the team as a naming-rights sponsor. The team was subsequently known as UAE Team Emirates.
In June 2017, two days before the 2017 Tour de France the team announced it would also be sponsored by the First Abu Dhabi Bank, an amalgamation of the First Gulf Bank and the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, with their logo being added to the chest and side of the team's jersey.

## Team roster

    As of 2 January 2025.
| | Rider | Date of birth |
| João Almeida (POR) | João Almeida (POR) | (1998-08-05) 5 August 1998 (age 26) |
| Igor Arrieta (ESP) | Igor Arrieta (ESP) | (2002-12-08) December 8, 2002 (age 22) |
| Juan Ayuso (ESP) | Juan Ayuso (ESP) | (2002-09-16) 16 September 2002 (age 22) |
| Filippo Baroncini (ITA) | Filippo Baroncini (ITA) | (2000-08-26) 26 August 2000 (age 24) |
| Mikkel Bjerg (DEN) | Mikkel Bjerg (DEN) | (1998-11-03) 3 November 1998 (age 26) |
| Jan Christen (SUI) | Jan Christen (SUI) | (2004-06-26) 26 June 2004 (age 20) |
| Alessandro Covi (ITA) | Alessandro Covi (ITA) | (1998-09-28) 28 September 1998 (age 26) |
| Isaac del Toro (MEX) | Isaac del Toro (MEX) | (2003-11-27) 27 November 2003 (age 21) |
| Felix Großschartner (AUT) | Felix Großschartner (AUT) | (1993-12-23) 23 December 1993 (age 31) |
| Rune Herregodts (BEL) | Rune Herregodts (BEL) | (1998-07-27) 27 July 1998 (age 26) |
| Julius Johansen (DEN) | Julius Johansen (DEN) | (1999-09-13) 13 September 1999 (age 25) |
| Vegard Stake Laengen (NOR) | Vegard Stake Laengen (NOR) | (1989-02-07) 7 February 1989 (age 35) |
| Rafał Majka (POL) | Rafał Majka (POL) | (1989-09-12) 12 September 1989 (age 35) |
| Brandon McNulty (USA) | Brandon McNulty (USA) | (1998-04-02) 2 April 1998 (age 26) |
| Juan Sebastián Molano (COL) | Juan Sebastián Molano (COL) | (1994-11-04) 4 November 1994 (age 30) |
| | Rider | Date of birth |
| António Morgado (POR) | António Morgado (POR) | (2004-01-28) 28 January 2004 (age 21) |
| Jhonatan Narváez (ECU) | Jhonatan Narváez (ECU) | (1997-03-04) 4 March 1997 (age 27) |
| Domen Novak (SLO) | Domen Novak (SLO) | (1995-07-12) 12 July 1995 (age 29) |
| Ivo Oliveira (POR) | Ivo Oliveira (POR) | (1996-09-05) 5 September 1996 (age 28) |
| Rui Oliveira (POR) | Rui Oliveira (POR) | (1996-09-05) 5 September 1996 (age 28) |
| Tadej Pogačar (SLO) | Tadej Pogačar (SLO) | (1998-09-21) 21 September 1998 (age 26) |
| Nils Politt (GER) | Nils Politt (GER) | (1994-03-06) 6 March 1994 (age 30) |
| Pavel Sivakov (FRA) | Pavel Sivakov (FRA) | (1997-07-11) 11 July 1997 (age 27) |
| Marc Soler (ESP) | Marc Soler (ESP) | (1993-11-22) 22 November 1993 (age 31) |
| Pablo Torres (ESP) | Pablo Torres (ESP) | (2005-11-10) 10 November 2005 (age 19) |
| Florian Vermeersch (BEL) | Florian Vermeersch (BEL) | (1999-03-12) 12 March 1999 (age 25) |
| Jay Vine (AUS) | Jay Vine (AUS) | (1995-11-16) 16 November 1995 (age 29) |
| Tim Wellens (BEL) | Tim Wellens (BEL) | (1991-05-10) 10 May 1991 (age 33) |
| Adam Yates (GBR) | Adam Yates (GBR) | (1992-08-07) 7 August 1992 (age 32) |

## Major wins

Since becoming UAE Team Emirates in 2018, the team has won the Tour de France three times and the Giro d'Italia once, with Slovenian rider Tadej Pogačar. Pogačar has also won the monuments of Giro di Lombardia (4 times), Liège–Bastogne–Liège (2 times) and Tour of Flanders for the team.

## National, continental, and world champions
### 1999

    Belgian Road Race, Ludo Dierckxsens

### 2000

    South African Time Trial, Robbie Hunter
    Latvian Time Trial, Raivis Belohvoščiks

### 2001

    Latvian Time Trial, Raivis Belohvoščiks

### 2002

    Latvian Time Trial, Raivis Belohvoščiks
    Latvian Road Race, Raivis Belohvoščiks

### 2005

    Austrian Road Race, Gerrit Glomser

### 2006

    Italian Time Trial, Marzio Bruseghin

### 2007

    Slovenian Road Race, Tadej Valjavec

### 2008

    World Road Race, Alessandro Ballan

### 2011

    Slovenian Road Race, Grega Bole
    Ukrainian Road Race, Oleksandr Kvachuk
    Ukrainian Time Trial, Oleksandr Kvachuk
    Italian Time Trial, Adriano Malori

### 2014

    Portuguese Time Trial, Nelson Oliveira
    Portuguese Road Race, Nelson Oliveira

### 2015

    Portuguese Time Trial, Nelson Oliveira
    Ethiopian Road Race, Tsgabu Grmay
    Ethiopian Time Trial, Tsgabu Grmay
    Portuguese Road Race, Rui Costa
    Slovenian Road Race, Luka Pibernik
    Taiwanese Road Race, Feng Chun-kai
    Taiwanese Time Trial, Feng Chun-kai

### 2017

    UAE Time Trial, Yousif Mirza
    UAE Road Race, Yousif Mirza
    Slovenian Time Trial, Jan Polanc
    European Track (Individual pursuit), Filippo Ganna

### 2018

    World Track (Individual pursuit), Filippo Ganna
    UAE Time Trial, Yousif Mirza
    UAE Road Race, Yousif Mirza
    Norwegian Road Race, Vegard Stake Laengen

### 2019

    UAE Time Trial, Yousif Mirza
    UAE Road Race, Yousif Mirza
    Slovenian Time Trial, Tadej Pogačar

### 2020

    Slovenian Time Trial, Tadej Pogačar
    Portuguese Time Trial, Ivo Oliveira
    Portuguese Road Race, Rui Costa
    Norwegian Road Race, Sven Erik Bystrøm
    European Track (Individual pursuit), Ivo Oliveira

### 2021

    African Time Trial, Ryan Gibbons
    UAE Road Race, Yousif Mirza
    UAE Time Trial, Yousif Mirza
    African Road Race, Ryan Gibbons
    South Africa Time Trial, Ryan Gibbons

### 2022

    UAE Road Race, Yousif Mirza
    UAE Time Trial, Yousif Mirza
    Swiss Time Trial, Joel Suter
    Portuguese Road Race, João Almeida

### 2023

    Australian Time Trial, Jay Vine
    Slovenian Time Trial, Tadej Pogačar
    Slovenian Road Race, Tadej Pogačar
    American Time Trial, Brandon McNulty
    Portuguese Time Trial, João Almeida
    Swiss Road Race, Marc Hirschi

### 2024

    World Road Race Championships, Tadej Pogačar
    American Time Trial, Brandon McNulty
    Austrian Time Trial, Felix Großschartner
    Belgian Time Trial, Tim Wellens
    German Time Trial, Nils Politt
    Portuguese Time Trial, António Morgado
    Slovenian Road Race, Domen Novak

### 2025

    Ecuador Road Race, Jhonatan Narváez