In the absence of Tadej Pogačar and Isaac del Toro and João Almeida, Adam Yates will lead UAE Team Emirates-XRG at the Giro d'Italia, with a mix of other experienced and talented other riders chasing stage victories.
Pogačar and Del Toro will lead UAE at the Tour de France, while Almeida is out of action due to a lingering virus that disrupted his spring.
33-year-old Yates made his Giro debut back in 2017 and has seven top-ten Grand Tour finishes on his palmares, and UAE will be hoping he can give the team at least another podium finish after Pogačar’s victory in 2024, Almeida’s third-place finish in 2023 and Isaac del Toro’s runner-up spot last year.
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Yates will have the support of Australia's Jay Vine, Igor Arrieta, Mikkel Bjerg, Jhonatan Narváez, Marc Soler and talented Grand Tour debutants Jan Christen and António Morgado.
UAE are expected to challenge Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe duo of Giulio Pellizziari and Jai Hindley in the three-week battle for the maglia rosa. Yates will look to emulate his twin brother Simon, who won the 2025 Giro before opting to walk away from professional cycling before the 2026 season. The two recently trained at home in Andorra before Adam left for the Grande Partenza in Bulgaria.
Yates has won stages at the Tour de France and Vuelta a España in recent seasons with UAE, with only a stage win in Italy missing from his palmares.
"Not having João Almeida will change our strategy slightly, but we still have big ambitions and still want to go for results. Personally, I feel like the shape is good and if things go our way we can have a good crack at the GC and animate the race," Yates said when UAE confirmed their final line-up.
"I’m pretty happy with how my preparation for the Giro has gone. The win in O Gran Camiño was a good tester and I’ve had a solid block with the team in Sierra Nevada, so I think as a group we’re ready."
UAE have kept back several key riders for their Tour de France squad but their Giro line-up is still strong.
Jay Vine is the Australian national time trial champion, and will target the time trial stage on the Tuscan coast and test his Grand Tour form after his disrupted spring following his kangaroo crash at the Tour Down Under. Vine won three stages at the 2025 Vuelta a España and could emerge in the GC if he avoids losing time early in the race and while riding for Yates.
Jhonatan Narváez, Mikkel Bjerg and Marc Soler have been selected for their Grand Tour experience, with all three previously riding for Pogačar at the Tour. Igor Arrieta made his Grand Tour debut in last year's Giro, riding for del Toro and finishing fourth on stage 8 to Castelraimondo, won by Luke Plapp.
Narváez and Bjerg were also involved in the Tour Down Under crash, with the Ecuadorian only making his return to racing at the Giro. However, he famously won stage 1 of the 2024 Corsa Rosa to stop then rival Pogačar from taking the leader's pink jersey. He is a natural stage hunter.
Jan Christen and António Morgado are making their Grand Tour debut but have shown their potential with 15 professional victories between them. 21-year-old Christen won this year's AlUla Tour and has shown his stage racing potential in weeklong races.
22-year-old Morgado is more of a Classics rider but will provide vital support for Yates and Vine during three weeks of testing racing on Italian roads.
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