The young Slovenian who let go the opportunity to race with Pogacar at UAE to join rival team - "I hardly got any space to race at all"

In 2023 UAE Team Emirates signed Slovenian rider Gal Glivar from Adria Mobil - the same team in which Primoz Roglic raced before joining Visma - but the youngster now leaves the team in search of better opportunities. He will join none other than Alpecin-Deceuninck where he hopes to have freedom to race and chase his own results.

Glivar was a stagiaire in late 2023 with the pro team, and part of it's under-23 structure in 2024. However, he barely got the opportunity to race with the elite riders. "It's actually very simple. We were not on the same page because of the contract. Not so much because of the economic situation, but because of the opportunities to race and improve," Glivar said as the reasons for his departure to Bici.Pro.

Glivar would have a spot at UAE, but signed with Alpecin-Dececuninck. He had a glimpse over the past year and a half of how difficult it is to find a spot in such a strong team. "It was fun to race with the UAE jersey and support my teammates. Doing your best and then winning the race is something special and beautiful, especially in the WorldTour. I always made myself available, but I hardly got any space to race at all".

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Now, the 22-year old makes the leap to the World Tour, with a few wins in his pocket already and a lot of potential. He is a classics specialist, something that Alpecin values quite a lot. "If I had to compare myself to someone, I would say that in terms of characteristics I resemble Tom Pidcock," Glivar argues. 

He will have the opportunity to join Mathieu van der Poel, who currently has two World titles over Pogacar's one title interestingly. "They are the strongest riders in the world, but I will want to compete with them and grow. The start of the season will be a bit calmer, with races that are not too demanding to get the hang of it all. For the type of rider I am, there will be great opportunities and I think I will be able to make the most of them, also because there will be more space at Alpecin".

"I think it is a team that is really dedicated to a certain type of racing, with two or three riders above the rest: Van der Poel, Jasper Philipsen and Kaden Groves. But on the other hand, there are not many superstars and that is why there is the right space for us, the young guys, to grow and get our chances," he concluded.

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