Ongoing contract talks with Tadej Pogačar overshadow 2 new UAE Emirates-XRG signings: 'Not a standard contract'
CyclingThursday, 20 August 2026 at 08:47
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Follow us on GoogleUAE Team Emirates-XRG has started when it comes to contracts and transfers for 2027. The multi-million pound team presented its first signings for the new season in Marco Frigo and Abel Balderstone. But the news causing a stir is the ongoing and complicated contract talks with its major superstar, Tadej Pogačar.
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First up, Frigo. The 26-year-old Italian is set to join from NSN at the end of this season, having been with them since leaving SEG in 2021. He spent a year in the development team before making the move to the WorldTour squad of what was then Israel-Premier Tech in 2023.
Whilst Frigo was a gifted climber in his youth, since joining the WorldTour peloton he has mainly impressed in challenging transitional stages of stage races, as an attacker. In 2023, he made a name for himself in this way at the Giro d’Italia, his first Grand Tour in his first year as a full-time professional.
In 2024, alongside the Giro, he also competed in the Vuelta a España, where he was in the lead group no fewer than six times, but had yet to win. That first professional victory came in 2025, on stage 3 of the Tour of the Alps, following an 80-kilometre solo breakaway. He once again tackled the Giro-Vuelta double and proved himself once more as an attacker.
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Frigo thrilled about move to UAE
At UAE Emirates-XRG, he will be joining the best team in the peloton, a team where, with his powerful engine and climbing ability, he will undoubtedly be an asset both as a domestique and when riding for his own chances. Earlier this year, for instance, he finished tenth from the breakaway in the Amstel Gold Race and came fourth from the leading group in a stage of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
This earned him his debut in the Tour de France. UAE sees Frigo as a reinforcement for the classics, but also for stage races. The Italian himself is delighted with the move. ‘I think my first four years as a professional have been a process in which I’ve shaped and found my identity as a rider,’ he says on his new team’s website.
‘I feel that UAE understood that, believed in it, and that our ideas about the future are very much aligned. That’s why I’m looking forward to channelling my great motivation over the coming years into helping the team achieve its ambitious goals.’
Abel Balderstone also joins Pogačar and UAE
The following day, it was also announced that Balderstone, from Caja Rural, would be joining the team for the next three years. ‘For me, joining UAE Team Emirates-XRG is a dream I’ve cherished since I was a child. I’m incredibly excited and highly motivated to embark on this new project, and I look forward to growing as a rider alongside the team.’
‘I’m looking forward to gaining this experience and learning from all the riders in the team. I believe this will be a very important step in my career and an environment where I can show the best version of myself, further develop as a rider and take a big step forward. I would like to thank the team for this fantastic opportunity and I am really looking forward to embarking on this journey together,’ said the Tour de France number 47.
UAE Emirates-XRG in ongoing talks with Pogačar
As mentioned, UAE Emirates-XRG has already begun planning for 2027. At the time of writing, the squad for the coming season already comprises 23 riders, leaving room for a further seven. The big stars of the peloton are part of this, following, for example, Isaac del Toro’s recent contract extension until the end of 2031.
This means the Mexican holds the longest-running contract with the team, but perhaps not for much longer. Tadej Pogacar is currently under contract until the end of 2030 and, according to cycling journalist Daniel Benson, UAE intends to secure the Slovenian superstar’s services for a longer period as well. Team boss Mauro Gianetti and Pogacar’s agent Alex Carera are set to meet on Friday.
Matar Suhail Al Yabhouni Al Dhaheri will also be present at that meeting. Pogačar, of course, already earns a lot of money, but as the main figurehead of UAE and the sport of cycling, he may be able to expect even more. The proposal is reportedly for two additional years, but will also involve discussions about 'special clauses – around three or four’, according to Carera.
The talks will take place on Friday in Monaco, but Carera expects the negotiations to last up to a month. ‘It’s not a standard contract,’ he emphasises.
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- - Abel’s quotes are pure ilusión. Bienvenido chico! UAE va a darle el entorno perfecto para crecer, especialmente en vueltas de una semana. Vamos!andrewf20-08-2026
- - If Pogi extends beyond 2030, doesn’t that squeeze opportunities for guys like Del Toro despite his deal till 2031? How do they balance GC leadership with so many climbers wanting shots?sprocketspiny20-08-2026
- - Great update, but one thing: didn’t Frigo join the WorldTour with Israel PT in 2022 not 2023? Might be mixing dev/WT timing. Either way, his Amstel top-10 from the move was class.patriciaw20-08-2026
- - Quick question: when they say “special clauses” for Pogačar, does that mean like altitude-camp control, race programme veto, or image rights stuff? Or more performance bonuses? Not totally clear from the piece.gearguru3320-08-2026
- - Balderstone for three years is tidy business. He was rock solid at Caja and has a good engine for medium mountains. But calling UAE “the best team in the peloton” is a bit rich—Visma and Ineos might have opinions. Still, depth wins grand tours, and they’re stacking it.pedalpowe2920-08-2026
- - Love the Frigo pickup. He’s turned into a lethal transition-stage raider since that Giro’23 breakaway spree, and the 80 km solo in Tour of the Alps proved he’s got diesel. Perfect foil for UAE’s classics unit and a sneaky good TdF break option.robert6520-08-2026
- - Pogacar top-5 in points even without contesting sprints? That’s plausible given the stage mix, but a bit generous. If UAE lets breaks go, he won’t hoover up intermediates. I’d put him 5–8 range unless he actively hunts moves. Vamos a ver.davidm19-08-2026
- - Cofidis “all-in” for Coquard sounds optimistic… Le Coq hasn’t been converting even in smaller races. Nice lead-out or not, this parcours punishes a sprinter who can’t survive the hills. Feels like wishful thinking from the team PR.raceready719-08-2026
- - Meeus without Van Poppel is a big miss, but he’s shown he can freelance. If he’s on partial duty for Roglič, though, I can’t see him beating a fully-focused Pedersen over three weeks. Mads looks like the clear fave if he bags even two wins.sprocketspiny19-08-2026
- - If there are only two flat stages, why are teams still bringing multiple “pure” sprinters? Wouldn’t a punchy finisher who climbs a bit be better for the green jersey here?jeremya19-08-2026
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