UAE sign 19-year old Spaniard until 2030 - He joins Tadej Pogacar, Pablo Torres and Jan Christen in long-term contract
Cycling
More and more pro teams are signing riders on long-term contracts and with it's vast financial resources, UAE Team Emirates - XRG is certainly putting their efforts in doing so. Tadej Pogacar, Jan Christen and Pablo Torres have a standing contract until 2030 and now they are joined by 19-year old Adrià Pericas.
This maintains the team's tradition of signing young riders on big contracts, which the team has been doing for several years successfully. Pericas is currently an under-23 rider with the team's development squad and has shown more than enough evidence of great talent, finishing in the Top10 of his second race with the team at the Vuelta a Murcia at age 18 where he joined teammates Tim Wellens and Isaac del Toro in the front group.
"We are very pleased to welcome Adria to the World Tour team for next season. We’ve watched his development closely through the Gen Z structure, and we believe he has the qualities to be a part of our long-term project," team DS Mauro Gianetti said in a press release. "The focus over the next years will be for him to continue to grow with us, both as a rider and as a person. His step-up is another positive development in the success of our Gen Z pathway.”
Pericas also rode to fifth at the Tour du Rwanda; won a stage and finished second at the Istrian Spring Tour and finished seventh at the under-23 Giro d'Italia amongst other results. But in his junior years he already displayed a lot of talent and was a proven winner in the Spanish peloton.
Pericas, soon to be racing the Tour de l'Avenir where he will be one of the top figures at the start, has shown himself very excited for the opportunity. “This season on the Gen Z team has been an incredible experience. I have really enjoyed being with my teammates, learning and growing every day, both inside and outside of the competition".
"Making the jump to the World Tour is a dream come true, and I face this new stage with great enthusiasm. I hope to continue learning from the great riders and staff with whom I am going to share a team, continue enjoying cycling as before and be able to develop in the long term as a cyclist in this structure.”
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We’re proud to confirm that 19-year-old Spanish talent @adriapericas 🇪🇸 will step up from our Gen Z development team to the WorldTour roster in 2026 on a five-year deal.
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) August 11, 2025
From his roots in Tona, Catalonia to standout results like a stage win at the Istrian Spring Tour and a… pic.twitter.com/6quNXllfjJ
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- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
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