Emirates Airline extends its partnership with UAE Team Emirates - XRG through 2028: "We hope for many more successful years"

One of the founding parties behind the world's best cycling team UAE Team Emirates - XRG, Emirates Airline, has extended its partnership until 2028. From the modest beginnings in 2017, Emirates Airline along with support from the government fully trusted in the project that paid off massively in recent years thanks to Tadej Pogacar among others.

Emirates Airline now counts among the largest airlines, but back in 2017, the decision to invest in cycling in 2017 was fueled by ambitions to raise the brand awareness. With the support of Emirates, the formation grew into one of the most successful teams of recent history.

Over the eight seasons, UAE Team Emirates - XRG has now achieved over 250 international victories, including four Grand Tour titles (3x Tour de France and 1x Giro d'Italia), a world title and numerous classics and prestigious (smaller) stage races. Last season was absolutely phenomenal from UAE as the team achieved staggering 81 victories with no less than twenty different riders. Inevitably, this put them at the top of the UCI ranking having scored nearly double the amount of points of the second team.

And if it were up to Mauro Gianetti, there would be many more successes in the coming years. "We are very excited and proud to extend this special partnership with Emirates," the general manager said in a press release. "Since the beginning of the project in 2017, we have grown year after year to become the best team in the world."

"This achievement is not only possible thanks to the work and dedication of our riders, but also thanks to the support of Emirates. We are living through a very special period, for the team and for cycling in the UAE. We hope for many more successful years, with many more victories." The obvious box to tick off is a Vuelta a Espana title, but he certainly wouldn't complain if Pogacar (or any other of his riders) were to secure a second world title in Rwanda this year.