"No team wanted me" - The 2017 junior world champion opens up on his unlikely journey to the team of Tadej Pogacar
Cycling
Times change quickly. When Julius Johansen won the 2017 junior World Championships in Bergen, it went nearly unnoticed. Nowadays, he would have secured a long-time WorldTour contract with his dominant junior season, but for Johansen the path to being professional cyclist for UAE Team Emirates - XRG was anything but straightforward.
"After dominating the junior season, I won the junior world championships in Bergen, Norway, and if it wasn’t for a puncture I probably would have won the time trial as well," Julius Johansen remembers in a Rouleur feature. "If you’re going to be a junior world champion today, for sure all the WorldTour teams would want to sign you, but that wasn’t the case back then – no teams wanted me."
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It’s not to belittle the achievements of U19 riders, but in the case of Johansen it was a case of simply maturing sooner than everyone else. "As a junior I was just stronger than the others and I could win almost every race," he reflects. "I wasn’t a sprinter, but I was so strong that I could ride most people off my wheel." Twelve wins in 19 days of road racing in 2017 back up his claims.
Julius Johansen in a breakaway during Vuelta a Espana 2022
But instead of joining a prestigious academy, he joined the Danish Coloquick for next two years before stepping up to ProTour with Uno-X in 2020. Even though he didn't have a winning streak such as in 2017, Johansen's performances over the two seasons in Norwegian team grabbed the attention of Intermarché - Wanty with whom he would go on to ride the Vuelta twice.
But at the end of 2023, there was no longer a spot for then 24-year-old Dane. "Maybe from the beginning they had bigger expectations from me, I don’t know, but they didn’t want me," he tries to put a finger on the reason for that. Suddenly, it seemed as though his WorldTour dream was already over.
Key role of Javier Sola
There are a multitude of reasons why Tadej Pogacar had the Triple Crown 2024 season that he did, but among the most important was the arrival of Javier Sola as his coach. Coincidentally, the same man also happened to have Johansen under his wing. "Sabgal had a deal with Javier Sola, Pogi’s trainer, and midway through the season he started coaching me – I was super lucky," Johansen says.
"He had my data and I wanted to do everything to show him that I definitely still had enough power to be in the WorldTour, and it was a mistake that I was no longer there."
Then in September, Sola suddenly invited Johansen for try-outs in UAE: "I did some really good tests and that started to really interest UAE," he says. "I’ve known Matxin [UAE Team Emirates - XRG sports manager] for a long time and we live quite close together, and he said they could do with a rider like me, someone to pull on the front."
From there on, it was a long wait until one November morning, the phone finally rang. "Luckily – so lucky for me – UAE had space for one more rider, and they said they wanted me." How did he feel? "It was a surprise for everyone, including myself. They said I have one year to show myself, to prove that I still belong in the WorldTour."
And Johansen already showed his worth with a second place in a stage of the Vuelta a Asturias, the one day when he was given freedom of his teammate duties. Will that be enough to secure a longer stay at WorldTour? Who knows, but so far it seems like the former junior world champion grabbed this golden opportunity with both hands.
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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- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
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