ANALYSIS | UAE’s master plan to spark Pablo Torres’s breakthrough after a difficult year
CyclingMonday, 29 December 2025 at 12:55
The year 2026 is a fresh start for every team. With a new triennium, UCI points counters in the individual and team rankings reset to zero. Many riders seize the moment as a “reset” after difficult seasons. That could be the case for Pablo Torres with UAE Team Emirates - XRG.
In 2024, the young rider from Madrid established himself as the standout talent of Spanish cycling. Riding for UAE’s Gen Z development squad, Torres shone at the Tour de l’Avenir, the under-23 Tour de France, with two stage wins that lifted him to the overall podium in second place.
Torres rounded off that year with other results such as a Top 2 overall at the Giro Next Gen, a Top 3 overall at the Giro della Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia, a stage win and 5th overall at the Giro Ciclistico della Valle d'Aosta, plus a Top 10 at the Spanish Elite Time Trial Championships.
So when he stepped up to the UAE Team Emirates - XRG first team at just 19, expectations were sky-high. The start was promising, banking World Tour miles and delivering where he needed to, such as 3rd overall at the Giro d’Abruzzo. However, a heavy crash at the Tour de Hongrie abruptly halted his momentum.
Pablo Torres has a major chance to regain form in 2026
Since that setback, Torres’s results have been underwhelming, both on the numbers and in feel. At the Tour de l’Avenir, where he would have been a leading favourite, he finished 7th overall, with a best of 5th in the final time trial.
He closed the season at the Italian autumn classics, finishing only 4 of the 6 he started, and in those he did complete he couldn’t support the team as a domestique as planned. So how does he start to rebuild in 2026? UAE has a clear plan.
UAE’s master plan for Pablo Torres
To help Torres gradually refind himself on the bike, and acknowledging he is still very young and that adapting to the WorldTour in year one can be tough, UAE Team Emirates has mapped an opening race block for 2026 where he can shine on the road.
Across his first month of racing, the Madrileño will ride eight one-day races on home roads:
- Clàssica Camp de Morvedre 2026: 23.01.2026.
- Gran Premio Castellón: 24.01.2026.
- Clássica Comunitat Valenciana: 25.01.2026.
- Trofeo Calvià: 28.01.2026.
- Trofeo Ses Salines: 29.01.2026.
- Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana: 30.01.2026.
- Trofeo Andratx: 31.01.2026.
- Trofeo Palma: 01.02.2026.
Read also
The best result of Pablo Torres’s young career
To date, the performance that earned Torres a contract through 2030 with UAE Team Emirates - XRG was his 2nd place overall at the 2024 Tour de l’Avenir. But he truly thrilled the audience with his second stage win, on the final day, when he almost overturned the gap to Joseph Blackmore on the Colle delle Finestre:
| Position | Name | Country | Time |
| 1 | Torres Pablo | Spain | - |
| 2 | Blackmore Joseph | Great Britain | 3:43 |
| 3 | Graat Tijmen | Netherlands | 4:09 |
| 4 | Bisiaux Léo | France | 5:41 |
| 5 | Rolland Brieuc | France | 5:42 |
| 6 | Pescador Diego | Colombia | ,, |
| 7 | Dalby Simon | Denmark | 5:50 |
| 8 | Guardeño Jaume | Spain | 6:00 |
| 9 | Rex Tim | Belgium | 6:05 |
| 10 | Zeray Nahom | UCI WCC Men's Team | 6:11 |
| 11 | Donzé Robin | Sw Switzerland | 6:13 |
| 12 | Kajamini Florian Samuel | Italy | ,, |
| 13 | Gualdi Simone | Italy | 6:26 |
| 14 | Scalco Matteo | Italy | 6:39 |
| 15 | Arsac Rémi | Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes | ,, |
| 16 | Mattio Pietro | Italy | 6:45 |
| 17 | Wenzel Mats | Luxembourg | 6:49 |
| 18 | Lopes Lucas | Portugal | 7:59 |
| 19 | Theiler Ole | Germany | 8:33 |
| 20 | Weiss Fabian | Switzerland | 9:03 |
| 21 | Vysočan Daniel | Czech Republic | 9:33 |
| 22 | Hofbauer Philipp | Austria | 9:37 |
| 23 | Muñoz Jaider | Colombia | 9:39 |
| 24 | Browning Fergus | Australia | 9:55 |
| 25 | Greenwood Matthew | Australia | 10:02 |
| 26 | Přidal Tomáš | Czech Republic | 10:19 |
| 27 | Colorado William | Colombia | 10:37 |
| 28 | Huising Menno | Netherlands | 11:24 |
| 29 | van Bekkum Darren | Netherlands | ,, |
| 30 | Gomez Camilo Andres | Colombia | 11:35 |
| 31 | Gajdulewicz Mateusz | Poland | 11:38 |
| 32 | Svarre Tobias | Denmark | ,, |
| 33 | Wallenborn Arno | Luxembourg | 11:47 |
| 34 | Bental Aviv | Israel | 11:56 |
| 35 | Jenni Luca | Switzerland | 12:53 |
| 36 | Nørtoft Morten Aalling | Denmark | ,, |
| 37 | Crescioli Ludovico | Italy | 13:10 |
| 38 | Lennartsson Hugo | Sweden | 13:32 |
| 39 | Dockx Aaron | Belgium | 14:03 |
| 40 | Pedersen Henrik | Denmark | 14:14 |
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KerisVroom29-12-2025 - Matxín said. “Pogacar is defining an era, and even without his points and victories, we would still be number one !?!? That's bullshit !!! Matxin is spitting nonsense again. That's a false picture because DelToro, McNulty, Ayuso would have to step into Pogi roles and none of them would have 1 win of Pogi's 20 and as a result they would not perform in smaller races and second hand wins. Since 2021 Pogi has competed in 16/25 monuments and has 10 wins, while UAE had chances on 9 occasions without Pog and won ZERO monuments. Since 2020 Pogi has competed in 7/18 Grand Tours and has 5 wins while rest of UAE has ZERO wins out of 11 GT, without Pogi. Do you get what I'm saying?NikkoNicco29-12-2025
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