"It's up to me to seize those opportunities" - UAE rider looks to succeed in 2026 after unlucky year

UAE Team Emirates - XRG has done a strong job signing quality riders to be road captains and domestiques, specially when it comes to its rouleurs. Its vast financial resources have allowed them to sign a rider such as Rune Herregodts who can also deliver results on his own; but neither plans have gone too well this year as the Belgian struggled with injuries and illnesses all year long. He is looking to impress in what is his contract year in the Emirati team.

"I look back on it with mixed feelings. Because it wasn't the season in which I had the most luck," Herregodts said in words to Sporza. "I bumped my knee against a table [at the UAE Tour]. I did ride the opening weekend, but after that, my knee problems became increasingly worse and I didn't ride for almost three weeks."

The UAE Tour was, ironically, where he was most visible during the year, supporting Tadej Pogacar to overall victory. In a supporting role most of the season, he wasn't set out to have many results, but the strong performances would've compensated for that. However, he didn't manage to do so: "I wasn't able to take the steps I wanted. But in training, I've noticed that I've made progress in some areas, like endurance." However, he couldn't translate it into the performances he hoped for, as the summer saw his form get continuously derailed by mishaps. 

"At the end of June, I got sick, which meant I had to miss both the Belgian time trial championships and the Belgian road championships. At the beginning of July, I also crashed during a training camp in Livigno because my chain slipped. I broke my collarbone and never reached the top level again."

Hence it was far from the ideal year for the 27-year old, but he is looking to enter 2026 with a bang. He will take part in the Challenge Mallorca, most likely doing all races, and will then follow that up with a racing block in the middle east.

"I'll start in Mallorca, followed by the Tour of Oman and the UAE Tour. After that, the cobbled classics are on my menu. Normally, I won't ride them all," he explains. Tadej Pogacar is racing the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix hoping for victories, but it will not be easy to find himself in what are expected to be world-class lineups.

However, like most or all riders in the team, he will also be given his opportunity. More specifically, the Baloise Belgium Tour has been crossed in the calendar as a week where he wants to show himself. "It depends on my fitness and the dropouts in the team. After that, a few smaller races will follow before the Baloise Belgium Tour. If I ride well in the weeks leading up to the Baloise Belgium Tour, I won't have to sacrifice myself from the start. With a good result in the time trial, I can then look at the general classification."

However if he shows the legs he had in the years before UAE, where he has taken several high-level wins and results, much through breakaways and solo moves, he can certainly show himself in the front more often. "As a team, we try to race attractively in those races with several riders. The opportunities will then present themselves. And then it's up to me to seize those opportunities," he concluded.