UAE Team Emirates XRG has confirmed its roster for the 2026 Deutschland Tour, which will celebrate its 40th edition from Wednesday, 19 August to Sunday, 23 August. The Emirati squad will be led by Nils Politt and Isaac del Toro, two riders who were part of the team that won the Tour de France in July.
For Politt, it will be a particularly meaningful appointment. The 32-year-old German will race on home roads and returns to an event that holds great memories for him. In 2018 he took the first win of his professional career in Stuttgart and, three years later, he claimed the overall title at the Deutschland Tour thanks to a spectacular solo victory on the penultimate stage.
The German will now resume stage racing after the Tour de France, motivated by the chance to compete in front of his home fans.
Nils Politt said: “The Deutschland Tour is always a special race for me. Racing at home, in Germany, in front of German fans gives you extra motivation, and I have great memories of this race, including winning stages here in the past.”
“This year’s route looks interesting and should encourage aggressive racing. We have a strong and versatile team, so I think we’ll have chances throughout the week. Personally, I feel good after the Tour and I’m keen to get stuck in, help the team, and put on a good show for the local fans.”
Del Toro back in stage-race action
Alongside Politt will be Isaac del Toro, who also returns to stage racing after his appearance at the Tour de France. The Mexican is one of UAE’s key cards for a race that offers varied terrain and several openings for riders targeting the general classification.
The lineup is completed by Vegard Stake Laengen, António Morgado, Moritz Mauss, and Matteo Vanden Wijngaert, the latter two part of the team’s new generation.
Sports directors Fabrizio Guidi and Andrej Hauptman will guide the squad over the five days of competition.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG also arrives with solid recent form in the German race. The team has stepped onto the podium three times: Alexander Kristoff was third in 2021, Felix Großschartner finished second in 2023, and Jhonatan Narváez took third in 2025. Kristoff and Narváez have also delivered stage wins for the team in recent editions.
Isaac del Toro
A demanding route
The 40th edition of the Deutschland Tour will feature a prologue and four road stages.
The race opens on Wednesday with a 2.6-kilometre prologue in Bad Orb, before tackling what could be the most demanding day on Thursday. Stage 1 links Bad Orb to Schwäbisch Hall over 215.2 kilometres, with 3,298 metres of elevation gain and an uphill finish that could create significant gaps.
Stage 2 on Friday takes the peloton from Schwäbisch Hall to Offenbach an der Queich across nearly 200 kilometres. The final 75 kilometres are virtually flat, so the sprinters should have their chance.
Stage 3, between Herxheim and Bad Dürkheim, will again test the GC contenders. Riders face 3,069 metres of climbing, with two ascents of the Annaberg, 2 kilometres at 5.9%, inside the final 20 kilometres.
The Deutschland Tour concludes on Sunday with a circuit stage starting and finishing in Heilbronn, once more on rolling terrain that could offer a final showdown among the general classification men.
With Politt and Del Toro as the main references, UAE Team Emirates-XRG lines up with a unit capable of fighting for both stage wins and the overall in one of the key fixtures on the German calendar.
UAE Deutschland Tour 2026
| Rider | Nationality |
| Nils Politt | Germany |
| Isaac del Toro | Mexico |
| Vegard Stake Laengen | Norway |
| António Morgado | Portugal |
| Moritz Mauss | Germany |
| Matteo Vanden Wijngaert | Belgium |
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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