Tadej Pogačar has once again extended his contract at UAE Team Emirates, adding another two years to his current deal to take him through to the end of the 2026 season.
The Tour de France champion is now effectively on a six-year contract, the longest of any rider in the pro peloton, reflecting the importance of the 22-year-old Slovenian to the team's future.
Pogačar recently brought home the overall title at the team's home race, the UAE Tour, after which he put pen to paper on the new deal.
"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," Pogacar 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."
Pogačar turned professional with UAE Team Emirates in 2019 and made an instant impact. After winning the Volta ao Algarve and Tour of California, the team handed him a long-term extension in June, taking him through to the end of 2023.
In May 2020, after he won three stages and finished on the final podium at his first Grand Tour - the Vuelta a España - he signed another extension, this time adding another year.
Pogačar went on to win the Tour de France in September last year, storming the penultimate-day time trial to snatch the yellow jersey from his compatriot Primož Roglič.
Five months on from that debut, and tipped for many more three-week titles, he has committed his long-term future to the team.
"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," said team manager Mauro Gianetti.
"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."
Matar Al Yabhouni, the team president, added: "Tadej is our present and our future. 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 which is of obvious importance to us. I am sure that we will continue to achieve important successes together going forward."
