UAE Team Emirates XRG

UAE Team Emirates XRG

Team information
UCI code	UAD
Registered	Italy (1999–2016) UAE (2017–present)
Founded	1999 (1999)
Discipline(s)	Road
Status	UCI WorldTeam
Bicycles	Colnago
Components	Shimano, Enve
Website	Team home page
Key personnel
General manager	Mauro Gianetti
Team manager(s)	Matxin Fernandez
Team name history
1999–2002 Lampre–Daikin 2003–2004 Lampre 2005 Lampre–Caffita 2006–2007 Lampre–Fondital 2008 Lampre 2009 Lampre–NGC 2010 Lampre–Farnese Vini 2011–2012 Lampre–ISD 2013–2016 Lampre–Merida 2017 UAE Abu Dhabi 2017–2024 UAE Team Emirates 2025– 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 four 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 (3 times) and Tour of Flanders (2 times) for the team.

The "XRG" in the current team name indicates the addition of UAE energy sponsor XRG as co-title sponsor and the official energy partner in late 2024, for a 6-year partnership.^[1][2]

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.^[3]

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.^[4]

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.^[5]

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.^[6] 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.

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.^[7] 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.^[8]

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.^[9] Additionally, in December 2024, the Abu Dhabi-based energy company XRG was added as a team co-title sponsor and the official energy partner, for at least a six-year term, resulting in the latest team name change.^[1]

As of 2 January 2025.^[10]

Rider Date of birth  João Almeida (POR) (1998-08-05) 5 August 1998  Igor Arrieta (ESP) (2002-12-08) 8 December 2002  Juan Ayuso (ESP) (2002-09-16) 16 September 2002  Filippo Baroncini (ITA) (2000-08-26) 26 August 2000  Mikkel Bjerg (DEN) (1998-11-03) 3 November 1998  Jan Christen (SUI) (2004-06-26) 26 June 2004  Alessandro Covi (ITA) (1998-09-28) 28 September 1998  Isaac del Toro (MEX) (2003-11-27) 27 November 2003  Felix Großschartner (AUT) (1993-12-23) 23 December 1993  Rune Herregodts (BEL) (1998-07-27) 27 July 1998  Julius Johansen (DEN) (1999-09-13) 13 September 1999  Vegard Stake Laengen (NOR) (1989-02-07) 7 February 1989  Rafał Majka (POL) (1989-09-12) 12 September 1989  Brandon McNulty (USA) (1998-04-02) 2 April 1998  Juan Sebastián Molano (COL) (1994-11-04) 4 November 1994

Rider Date of birth  António Morgado (POR) (2004-01-28) 28 January 2004  Jhonatan Narváez (ECU) (1997-03-04) 4 March 1997  Domen Novak (SLO) (1995-07-12) 12 July 1995  Ivo Oliveira (POR) (1996-09-05) 5 September 1996  Rui Oliveira (POR) (1996-09-05) 5 September 1996  Tadej Pogačar (SLO) (1998-09-21) 21 September 1998  Nils Politt (GER) (1994-03-06) 6 March 1994  Pavel Sivakov (FRA) (1997-07-11) 11 July 1997  Marc Soler (ESP) (1993-11-22) 22 November 1993  Pablo Torres (ESP) (2005-11-10) 10 November 2005  Florian Vermeersch (BEL) (1999-03-12) 12 March 1999  Jay Vine (AUS) (1995-11-16) 16 November 1995  Tim Wellens (BEL) (1991-05-10) 10 May 1991  Adam Yates (GBR) (1992-08-07) 7 August 1992

Since becoming UAE Team Emirates in 2018, the team has won the Tour de France four 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 (3 times) and Tour of Flanders (2 times) for the team.

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[[Category:Cycling teams established in 2017