Tadej Pogacar's original lieutenant among six UAE Team Emirates contract renewals as peloton leaders secure future of team's core
CyclingThursday, 24 September 2026 at 11:30
UAE Team Emirates-XRG have moved to secure another substantial part of their squad for the coming seasons, announcing six contract renewals including several riders who have played important roles around Tadej Pogacar.
Vegard Stake Laengen will continue through to the end of 2027, Felix Grossschartner and Julius Johansen have signed until 2028, while Domen Novak and Portuguese twins Ivo and Rui Oliveira have all committed through 2029.
Laengen's extension continues one of the longest relationships in the entire UAE setup. The Norwegian joined at the formation of UAE Team Emirates in 2017, two years before Pogacar arrived, and has since become one of the Slovenian's longest-serving Grand Tour teammates.
Since Pogacar made his Tour de France debut in 2020, Laengen was selected alongside him in each of his first four appearances through 2023, including the back-to-back yellow jersey victories of 2020 and 2021. He then reunited with Pogacar at the 2024 Giro d'Italia, where the Slovenian won six stages and the overall classification.
| Rider Name | New Contract Length |
| Vegard Stake Laengen | Until end of 2027 |
| Felix Grossschartner | Until end of 2028 |
| Julius Johansen | Until end of 2028 |
| Ivo Oliveira | Until end of 2029 |
| Rui Oliveira | Until end of 2029 |
| Domen Novak | Until end of 2029 |
The 37-year-old has remained involved in Pogacar's programme during 2026. At Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Laengen was among the UAE riders working at the front before Pogacar's winning move, while at the Tour de Romandie he and Ivo Oliveira were specifically tasked with controlling the peloton as their leader defended yellow. His new contract will take his association with UAE beyond a decade.
Pogacar's Grand Tour support retained
Grossschartner has become an increasingly prominent part of Pogacar's support structure since joining from Bora-Hansgrohe in 2023. The Austrian was selected for UAE's 2026 Tour de France team alongside Pogacar, Isaac del Toro, Brandon McNulty, Nils Politt, Florian Vermeersch, Tim Wellens and Adam Yates. He was regularly used before the decisive moments of the race as Pogacar went on to secure a record-equalling fifth Tour victory.
His work around Pogacar has extended well beyond July. Grossschartner was among the riders who helped set up the Slovenian's long-range winning attack at Strade Bianche in March and was again part of his support team at the Tour de Romandie.
Alongside those duties, Grossschartner retained the Austrian national time trial title in 2026 and will now remain with UAE through 2028.
Vegard Stake Laengen has been with UAE since 2017
Novak has secured an even longer commitment, with the Slovenian climber extending until the end of 2029. Since arriving in 2023, the former Slovenian national champion has been used repeatedly alongside Pogacar in the mountains. He was part of the squad for the dominant 2024 Giro d'Italia victory and returned to Grand Tour duty alongside his compatriot at the 2026 Vuelta a España.
UAE selected Novak and Ivo Oliveira alongside Pogacar, João Almeida, Jay Vine, Pavel Sivakov, Pablo Torres and Kevin Vermaerke for the Vuelta, giving two of the six riders whose renewals have now been announced places in Pogacar's most recent Grand Tour lineup.
Oliveira has been part of UAE since 2019 and has increasingly combined those support duties with opportunities against the clock. He finished third in the Tour de Romandie prologue this season, averaging more than 52km/h over the 3.2-kilometre course, before joining Laengen in controlling the race for Pogacar later in the week. He will remain with the team through 2029.
Five wins reward Johansen's 2026 breakthrough
Julius Johansen has earned a new deal through 2028 after comfortably the most productive season of his professional career. The Dane only joined UAE in 2025 and entered this year still looking for his first professional victory. That changed at O Gran Camiño in April, where he won the individual time trial, and another four victories against the clock have followed during 2026.
Johansen added the Boucles de la Mayenne prologue, a time trial at the Sibiu Cycling Tour and two more victories at the Volta a Portugal, including its opening prologue and stage 5 individual time trial.
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Twin brothers Ivo and Rui Oliveira are meanwhile both set to extend their UAE careers beyond a decade after signing through 2029. Rui joined alongside his brother in 2019 and has spent much of his road career working across UAE's Classics and sprint programmes while also maintaining a hugely successful track career, highlighted by Olympic Madison gold with Iúri Leitão at Paris 2024.
The 30-year-old finally claimed his first professional road victory during the 2026 Volta a Portugal, winning the final stage in Porto. He has remained active in UAE's sprint setup since then, including helping position Sebastián Molano during the Colombian's opening-stage victory at the CRO Race this week.
Laengen's deal is the shortest of the six at the end of 2027, but will still take one of UAE's founding riders into an 11th season with the team. Großschartner and Johansen are now secured through 2028, with Novak and both Oliveira brothers under contract until the end of 2029.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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