"I'm super surprised" - UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider Julius Johansen can't believe Boucles de la Mayenne Prologue victory
Cycling
Julius Johansen has certainly found his feet after signing with UAE Team Emirates - XRG in 2025. The 26-year-old has become a revelation and trusted domestique for Tadej Pogacar's squad and has now re-added an old weapon to his arsenal this season - the time trial.
The Danish rider has won the national title at Junior and U23 levels - as well as a 4th place at the 2016 World Championships - in the discipline, but failed to turn that into elite success in his time at Pro Tour and World Tour level. That is until this season.
Johansen took the first two professional wins of his career in an impressive start to the season, both of which coming in the time trial. After winning stage 1 of O Gran Camiño in April, he has now won the Boucles de la Mayenne Prologue.
Beating pre-stage favourite and recent Tour de Hongrie winner Jakob Söderqvist, he competed the 5.4 kilometer course to finish just a second ahead of the Swede and six seconds faster than Oscar Chamberlain in third.
Johansen "super surprised"
"It's incredible to win another race," the Dane said in a team press release, in disbelief at his further success in 2026.
"It seems like I've finally found my form in time trials after all these years! It's really great to get another victory, and again in a time trial. It's unbelievable. I knew we had a very good team here, with a lot of riders capable of winning a time trial like this, but I really didn't think there would be any more."
He added: "I'm super surprised and, of course, super happy. Now we're looking ahead to the next few days: we have a good team and we're ready. I hope we can win more!"
The result puts UAE Team Emirates - XRG in the driving seat in the French race, with Benoît Cosnefroy in fourth overall just six seconds shy of Johansen and Ivo Oliveira in sixth at seven seconds.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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