Tadej Pogacar's surprising new teammate? UAE Team Emirates set to sign former Uno-X, Intermarche and Sabgal rider according to reports

In a somewhat surprising piece of news, 25-year-old Dane Julius Johansen, most recently seen riding in Portugal for Sabgal / Anicolor, is set to sign for UAE Team Emirates according to reports.

A winner of the Olympia's Tour back in 2018 when riding for Team ColoQuick, Johansen has spent time at teams such as Uno-X and Intermarché - Wanty, but dropped off the World Tour at the end of the 2023 season, taking a step down to continue his career at the Continental Portuguese team across 2024, taking on such races as the Volta a Portugal, the Tour of Denmark and the Tour of Britain. 

According to reports by Ekstra Bladet though, in 2025, Johansen is set to become a teammate of some of the peloton's most notable names such as Tadej Pogacar, Adam Yates, Joao Almeida, Juan Ayuso and others at the all-conquering UAE Team Emirates. "It could be quite a comeback," the report notes. "According to Ekstra Bladet's information, the Dane will ride for the UAE Team-Emirates itself in 2025."

As the report also mentions, it is a sharp rise for Johansen. From being dropped by one of the World Tour's smallest teams just one year ago to signing for the most successful team in the entirety of the peloton, the Dane's fortunes have turned around dramatically.