Tadej Pogacar: ‘I feel at home here’ - Tour de France winner extends UAE Team Emirates contract

Updated 02/03/2021 at 12:31 GMT

“I hope we can have many more successful seasons together in the years ahead,” said Tadej Pogacar, the 2020 Tour de France winner who has extended his current deal with UAE Team Emirates by another two years. The Slovenian recently won the UAE Tour, his first win of the 2021 season.

Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and UAE Team Emirates won the UAE Tour

Image credit: Getty Images

Reigning Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar has extended his contract with UAE Team Emirates through to the end of the 2026 season.

The Slovenian recently claimed his first win of 2021 at the UAE Tour, and he has gone on to add two years to his current deal with the Emirati squad.

“I feel at home in this team,” he said. “There is a special atmosphere between the management, riders and staff and it’s a good environment to be in.

Tour of the Alps

Tour of the Alps Stage 4 highlights as Britain's Carr surges to victory and Lopez retains GC lead

00:02:51

12 hours ago

“The team shows a lot of trust and confidence in me which I am thankful for, and I work hard to show that when I’m racing alongside my team-mates. I hope we can have many more successful seasons together in the years ahead.”

Highlights: Caleb Ewan takes final stage as Tadej Pogacar wins overall title

Team president Matar Al Yabhouni described Pogacar as the team’s “present and future”, with the 22-year-old the first rider to win the general classification, young rider, and mountains classifications at the Tour de France last year.

Al Yabhouni said: “Tadej is our present and our future. He is a rider who was able to win the Tour de France despite his young age and still managed to handle the pressure of such a great success. He showed great poise and determination to win the UAE Tour, a race that is growing year after year and which is of obvious importance to us. I am sure that we will continue to achieve important successes together going forward.”

Pogacar gives heartfelt victory speech after becoming youngest winner in over a century

Mauro Gianetti, team principal and CEO, added: “We are happy to announce the further extension of Tadej’s contract with us. He strongly believes in our project as we do in his abilities.

“It is already the third time we’ve extended his contract which shows his commitment to the project we are building here at UAE. We are creating a real group, united, with an atmosphere that I don’t remember in all my years in cycling. I am particularly proud of this.”

'Phenomenal' Pogacar

Last year, Bradley Wiggins said on his podcast that he believes Pogacar's Tour de France win is just the start of something very special in the years to come.

IS THIS NOW THE START OF SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL FOR THE NEXT 15 YEARS? WHAT A PERFORMANCE. ROGLIC JUST GOT OUTCLASSED BY SOMEONE WHO IS VERY, VERY SPECIAL.

‘Absolutely incredible’ - Pogacar poised to win Tour after Roglic collapse

"This time last year we were talking about Egan Bernal dominating for the next few years," Wiggins said.

"Where does this now leave G [Geraint Thomas]? Where does this leave [Chris] Froome? Can Froome win another Tour?

IT SEEMS TO CHANGE THE WHOLE DYNAMIC OF THE SPORT NOW IN TERMS OF WHO IS GOING TO DOMINATE GOING FORWARD. IT FEELS LIKE A CHANGING OF THE GUARD, MASSIVELY.

"He [Pogacar] has probably surprised himself a bit as well. We saw that at the finish; he couldn't believe it. We are just as stunned. He has blown the world of cycling out of the water.

"It is one of those performances that we are trying to put into words and define it, but it is very difficult to. I'm struggling to think of a performance in any sport that is such an upset to this degree."