New star climber? Mauro Gianetti and Joxean Matxín personally intervened to bring talented Czech cyclocrosser to UAE!
Cycling
UAE Team Emirates - XRG have without much of a concern defended its title of "the best cycling team in the world" for a fourth season in a row. This is why the Emirati team could afford to play it low on the transfer market with only four new faces - no superstars - joining its WorldTour ranks. Instead, they've focused their attention to Development Team recruitment.
Although the full roster is yet to take shape at the UAE Team Emirates Gen Z, we already know about five recruits for 2027 - and it's a thrilling group of riders.
Junior world championships runner-up Simon Defrance, Mexican climber Jose Emilio Rodríguez, Spanish puncheur Luca Martinez and versatile Italian Riccardo Lorello all promise to make an impact soon enough, but one other name stands out; Czech rider Vaclav Jezek.
"Cyclocross has always meant a lot to me and has been a passion of mine. But this year something incredible happened on the road and the offer from the UAE was one that was hard to refuse. It was not an easy decision to make, but if I want to succeed at the highest level on the road, I have to give it my all. Now I have a big challenge ahead of me," Jezek said earlier about his transfer.
The 21-year-old comes from cyclocross background and has only properly made a switch to road racing ahead of this season. The impact was immediate as Jezek competed with PRT-level climbers to win the Tour of Hellas (2.1), finish 11th overall at demanding Tour of Austria (2.1) and 7th at his home Czech Tour (2.Pro).
Such steep growth curve did not escape the attention of UAE bosses who have personally negotiated the conditions to bring the promising youngster on-board.
Gianetti and Matxin personally intervened
Jezek's agent Frantisek Rabon, a former pro with T-Mobile, HTC Columbia or Quick-Step, explains that his protege's performances have generated a great interest - especially from the Emirati team. In fact, the team's head figures Mauro Gianetti and Joxean Matxín have directly contacted Rabon to ensure the talented Czech would not slip through their fingers.
"After Greece, UAE, specifically CEO Gianetti and Matxin, made contact," Rabon told iDNES. "From the very beginning, they spoke of him in glowing terms, highlighting the power he was able to produce during the third and fourth hours of a race."
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According to the agent, UAE have expressed interest to skip the middle-step and bring Jezek immediately to WorldTour, but the young rider in his last year in the under-23 category opted to extend his learning period after a late transition to road racing and spend one year at the 'Gen Z' team.
Some might assume that the choice of UAE over other teams was backed by a generous financial offer, but that's not the case. All the riders in UAE's development structure earn the same salary. Instead, it was the personal involvement of UAE's bosses and a clear vision for Jezek's further development which tipped the scales.
"Many teams complain that UAE has a massive budget and can sign whoever they want. On the contrary, UAE has shown a proactive approach, actively seeking out talented riders, including those who are less well-known," Rabon said. "They could easily have waited another year and signed him from a different team, but they want to develop him themselves."
Davide Stella makes the step up to WorldTour from Gen Z team for 2027 season, following in the footsteps of Luca Giaimi, Adria Pericas and Pablo Torres who have secured a promotion in the first two years of UAE development team's existence.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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