Tadej Pogačar has once again extended his contract at UAE Team Emirates, adding another year to his current deal, which will extend his already extraordinarily long agreement through until the end of the 2027 season.
The 22-year-old from Slovenia, who dominated at the Tour de France to take his second victory in as many years, had already added two years to his contract in March of this year. He put pen to paper once again on his way home from his bronze medal performance in the Tokyo Olympic Games to add yet another season.
“I’m really happy to be able to commit my future to the team and stay here for the next years. I feel at home here, it feels like a big family,” said Pogačar in a team statement. “This team is a really good fit for me and I am fortunate to say that I have not only found colleagues but friends.
“I’m excited for the years ahead and what they will bring, hopefully more success for me and for the team. I hope we are inspiring lots of kids to ride bikes.”
Pogačar joined UAE Team Emirates in 2019, quickly securing a long-term extension of his contract through till the end of the 2023 season after winning the Volta ao Algarve and Tour of California. After that 2019 extension he went on to start in his first Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España, where he finished third overall, won the young rider classification and took 3 stage wins. Then in May of 2020 he signed another extension.
Pogačar has taken 29 wins while at the Emirati outfit, which he joined after racing with Continental squad Ljubljana Gusto Xaurum. UAE Team Emirates said it had signed one of the longest contracts in professional cycling, with the move emphasising his importance in the long term plans for the team.
“We have been building a squad of young talents for the future and Tadej has been an integral part of that process since the beginning,” said Mauro Gianetti, CEO & Team Principal, of UAE Team Emirates.
“We have seen him grow from a teenager to a young man and what he has achieved has been fantastic. He is inspiring not only his teammates but a whole new generation of young cyclists in UAE and around the world.”
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