![\"isaacdeltoro](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/isaacdeltoro-3-68387877027b3.jpg@webp.webp\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Their
\ntop-level performers remained consistent, but their domestiques, climbers, and
\nopportunists scored victories that previously would have eluded them. The
\nbalance across the roster meant that even on days when Pogacar wasn\u2019t present
\nor winning, the team still often was. The combination of versatility, tactical
\ndaring, and squad depth turned what might have been an ordinary season for a
\nsuperteam into something close to unprecedented. Remember,
\nin 2024 they won two grand tours, two monuments, and 81 races in total. This year,
\nthey went to the next level.<\/p>\n
Spring
\nClassics <\/p>\n
UAE
\nstarted the year with intent on the gravel of Tuscany. At Strade Bianche, Pogacar
\ncrashed heavily at high speed yet still rode away from Tom Pidcock and went solo
\nto claim the victory in Siena. It was the first big statement of the year: even
\nphysically battered, he could outride a field of specialists. Weeks later at
\nMilano-Sanremo, he stood on the podium again, matching Mathieu van der Poel on
\nthe Poggio and only losing ground in the final rush to the line. It was one of
\nthe best moments of the year, but Sanremo is still one of the few races that
\nhas eluded the Slovenia.<\/p>\n
The next
\nlandmark was the Tour of Flanders, where Pogacar responded to Van der Poel\u2019s
\nsurge on the Oude Kwaremont and powered away for his second career Ronde
\nvictory. At Paris\u2013Roubaix, making his debut on the cobbles, he stayed with Van
\nder Poel deep into the race and finished second after a late crash cost him any
\nchance of sprinting. We can\u2019t wait to see Pogacar and Van der Poel face off
\nonce again next spring at Sanremo and on the cobbles.<\/p>\n
In the
\nArdennes he was even more untouchable. At Amstel Gold Race he launched early
\nand arrived in a three-up sprint with Remco Evenepoel and Mattias Skjelmose,
\nlosing in a photo finish in a massive upset to Skjelmose. Just days later at La
\nFl\u00e8che Wallonne, he attacked decisively on the Mur de Huy to take his second
\ntitle there. At Li\u00e8ge\u2013Bastogne\u2013Li\u00e8ge he struck long before La Redoute and rode
\nsolo to the line. By the end of April he had won 2 monuments, several classics,
\nand was clearly in even better form than 2024.<\/p>\n
Although
\nthe Spring Classics were largely defined by Pogacar, the supporting cast still
\ncontributed meaningfully. Juan Ayuso\u2019s early-season wins at Faun-Ardeche
\nClassic and Tirreno-Adriatico showed how deep UAE\u2019s talent ran. In virtually
\nevery major Classic, the team\u2019s white jersey appeared near the front, enforcing
\nrace patterns rather than reacting to them. UAE\u2019s spring was defined by
\naggression: long-range attacks, relentless pacing, and a refusal to let rival
\nteams shape the final hour of racing. In 2024 they had been strong, in 2025
\nthey were perhaps even more omnipresent.<\/p>\n
Grand
\nTour Season<\/p>\n
The
\nGrand Tours provided the clearest lens into UAE\u2019s transformation from a team
\nreliant on its star, to one that could be set for many years of complete
\ndominance.<\/p>\n
UAE
\narrived at the Giro d\u2019Italia without defending champion Tadej Pogacar, yet
\nstill chased overall victory through Juan Ayuso and Adam Yates. The
\nbreakthrough came early: Ayuso won Stage 7 to Tagliacozzo after outsprinting
\nhis breakaway companions, with Isaac del Toro finishing second. <\/p>\n
What followed,
\nwas one of the most dramatic phases of the season. Ayuso struggled with bad luck,
\ncaught up in many crashes, right at the moment where young Mexican Isaac del
\nToro ascended to the top. Called by Tadej Pogacar \u201cThe Future,\u201d Del Toro took
\nthe pink jersey and won stage 17, and announced himself as a future star. He
\nlooked set for the overall victory, but lost on a dramatic stage 20 where he
\nand Richard Carapaz marked each other, but let Simon Yates slip away to win for
\nVisma.<\/p>\n
Still,
\nit is a mark of just how impressive Del Toro was as a youngster, that he was
\ndisappointed with second place. He, without question, is a future grand tour
\nwinner.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Isaac del Toro was the revelation of the Giro d’Italia<\/p>\n
Tour de France<\/b><\/p>\n
At the
\nTour de France, the script returned to familiar territory, and the race
\nbelonged to Tadej Pogacar. He won four stages, and in truth the race was over
\nbefore it really got going. Vingegaard did not look like he could challenge
\nPogacar at any point, which is perhaps the first time we can say the Dane has
\nnot caused him any trouble during the Tour. Pogacar wore yellow for 13 stages
\nand finished the race with his fourth career Tour title, along with the
\nmountains classification.<\/p>\n
Support
\nriders like Adam Yates, Pavel Sivakov, and Tim Wellens kept the tempo as high
\nas needed, ensuring Pogacar remained shielded from chaos. Wellens also added a
\nbreakaway stage win, pushing UAE\u2019s total to five. The team\u2019s only major setback
\nwas the loss of Jo\u00e3o Almeida, who crashed hard on Stage 7 and eventually
\nabandoned Stage 9. Without him, UAE had a more fragile mountain train, but
\nPoga\u010dar\u2019s superiority eliminated any sense of vulnerability.<\/p>\n
By
\nParis, the victory margin was decisive. UAE had reasserted absolute command
\nover the sport\u2019s most prestigious race, adding to their historic stage count
\nand reinforcing the idea that Pogacar stood alone at the top of modern cycling.<\/p>\n
Without
\nPogacar in Spain once again, the Vuelta a Espana tested UAE\u2019s structure more
\nthan its star power. Jo\u00e3o Almeida stepped into the leadership role with Ayuso
\nin support. Almeida\u2019s defining moment came on Stage 13 atop the Alto de
\nl\u2019Angliru, where he attacked and won, breaking Jonas Vingegaard\u2019s rhythm. That
\nperformance moved him into second on GC, a position he held through the
\nvolatile final week. He finished the race +1:16 behind Vingegaard, and whilst
\nhe was disappointed not to win, he finally showed that he is indeed one of the
\nworld\u2019s very best GC riders in his own right.<\/p>\n
Ayuso was
\narguably the main talking point of the Vuelta however. The team\u2019s race was
\novershadowed by a public bust-up between the rider and his team, after the team
\nunexpectedly announced his contract\u2019s early termination mid-race.<\/p>\n
Ayuso
\nsaid he had been given only 30 minutes notice before the press release and
\naccused the team of acting like a \u201cdictatorship\u201d and trying to \u201cdamage his
\nimage.\u201d He insisted there had been an agreement to defer the announcement until
\nafter the Vuelta to avoid disrupting team morale or race dynamics. <\/p>\n
The
\ntiming sparked tensions internally: Ayuso was criticised for his lack of
\nsupport to co-leader Jo\u00e3o Almeida on key climbs, when Almeida struggled after a
\nrival\u2019s attack. Despite that, Ayuso still claimed a stage win. But could he
\nhave helped Almeida to win?<\/p>\n
Overall,
\nthe grand tours were a major success once again. In Italy they relied on youth,
\nin France they backed their champion, in Spain Almeida announced himself as the
\nGC man. But, a big question mark must be thrown over two things: Del Toro\u2019s
\nthrowing away of the Giro on stage 20, and the team\u2019s lack of support for
\nAlmeida at the Vuelta as they hunted stage wins. Whilst they achieved their
\nmain goal of winning the Tour, some better tactics from the team could have
\narguably seen them win all three grand tours.<\/p>\n
Transfers<\/p>\n
UAE\u2019s
\n2026 transfer activity was remarkably restrained for a team coming off its
\ngreatest season. They added Beno\u00eet Cosnefroy from AG2R to strengthen their
\nClassics lineup, promoted young Spaniard Adri\u00e0 Pericas, and signed American
\nKevin Vermaerke from Team Picnic PostNL. None of the additions were
\nheadline-grabbing, but all will have an important role to play.<\/p>\n
The
\nbiggest departure was Juan Ayuso, who signed a long-term deal with Lidl\u2013Trek.
\nLosing a 22-year-old Grand Tour podium finisher would hurt almost any other
\nteam, but UAE still have Pogacar, Almeida, Yates, Del Toro, and a pipeline of
\ntalent behind them. And in truth, for team morale, losing Ayuso could turn out
\nto be a good thing.<\/p>\n
Final
\nVerdict: 9\/10<\/b><\/p>\n
UAE are
\nby the far strongest team in cycling, largely thanks to the supernatural talent
\nof Tadej Pogacar. But they are not quite a 10\/10. Yes, they were extraordinary
\nby any standard, yet not entirely without questions. They reached their primary
\nobjective by reclaiming the Tour de France and delivering a season that
\nproduced a record-breaking 97 victories, the most of any team in history. <\/p>\n
They led
\nthe WorldTour standings by a huge margin, lit up the Spring Classics, and built
\na roster that continued to rise rather than plateau. Across cobbles, gravel,
\nhigh mountains, and time trials, UAE dictated the shape of races and forced
\nevery rival into a reactive posture.<\/p>\n
But if
\n2025 was a near-complete season, the two Grand Tours without Tadej Pogacar did
\nleave room for scrutiny. At the Giro d\u2019Italia, a stronger tactical plan for
\nIsaac del Toro on stage 20 might well have changed the outcome. At the Vuelta,
\nJo\u00e3o Almeida carried the load admirably, but the team\u2019s choice to chase stage
\nwins at key moments rather than build an uncompromising GC platform left him
\nslightly exposed. Had UAE tightened their focus around him earlier, the gap to
\nJonas Vingegaard may have been narrower.<\/p>\n
Even
\nwith those caveats, the broader picture is unmistakable. UAE set the
\ncompetitive rhythm of the season, shaped the biggest races, and redefined what
\ndominance looks like in modern cycling. With Pogacar at full strength and
\nAlmeida cementing himself as a Grand Tour contender, the team isn\u2019t simply one
\nof the sport\u2019s all-time most elite outfits, it is the benchmark against which
\nevery other squad now measures its ambitions.<\/p>\n
Discussion<\/p>\n
Fin
\nMajor (CyclingUpToDate)<\/b><\/p>\n
From my
\nperspective, UAE Team Emirates – XRG\u2019s 2025 season was incredible, even if it
\nwasn\u2019t perfect. The biggest takeaway for me is how far ahead Tadej Pogacar now
\nlooks compared with Jonas Vingegaard in July. After the Tour, it felt like the
\ngap had stretched, not narrowed, and it\u2019s becoming difficult to imagine anyone
\nstopping Pogc\u010dar from taking a fifth yellow jersey in 2026. <\/p>\n
What
\nthrilled me most, though, were his spring battles with Mathieu van der Poel.
\nTheir duels across Sanremo, the Ronde and Roubaix were, for me, the highlight
\nof the entire cycling year, two riders at their peak, pushing each other into
\nnew territory. I cannot wait for March to come so the battle between the sport\u2019s
\ntwo best riders can begin all over again.<\/p>\n
But the
\nseason wasn\u2019t without frustrations. The Vuelta still nags at me, because it
\nfelt like UAE lost sight of what mattered most. Jo\u00e3o Almeida had the legs to
\nstay much closer to Vingegaard, yet the team seemed intent on chasing scattered
\nstage wins rather than committing fully to his GC fight. Watching them burn
\nriders and energy on opportunistic attacks while Almeida needed support was
\nbaffling. What on earth were they thinking not truly backing the Portuguese
\nrider? <\/p>\n
Still,
\ndespite those missteps, it\u2019s clear UAE are the strongest team in world cycling,
\nand 2026 certainly looks set to continue that story.<\/p>\n
R\u00faben Silva (CyclingUpToDate)\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
I think we’re going with a 10 out of 10, because who else could possibly take it? Tadej Pogacar keeps making history and the team also collectively made history with a beating of the previous stage win record. Quality and quantity all round. I think there could be a big discussion but actually the answer is rather simple, no other team can get to their level and even what they did this year might not ever be matched in the sport.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pogacar won the Tour; three monuments (podium in the other two, another bit of history made); World and European Championships; Strade Bianche and Dauphin\u00e9 which are the best non-monument or non-Grand Tour one and stage-races… Nothing to point, his season was simply perfect. Isaac del Toro had a breakthrough, won more than almost anyone this year and is frankly the rider who seems to be coming the closest to matching the level of his own leader. A one-two at next year’s Tour is quite possible, I would say…\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jo\u00e3o Almeida won 3 out of the 7 main World Tour stage-races and still went on to finish second at the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a and Algarve behind only Jonas Vingegaard… Juan Ayuso, despite his mishaps and abrupt departure from the team, has had a very strong season with the Tirreno-Adriatico added to his palmar\u00e8s, as well as victories at the Vuelta, Catalunya and other races… Brandon McNulty won Montreal, Pologne, Luxembourg, Cro Race; which showcases very well how the team gives opportunities to all of its quality riders, even those who have domestique duties in the Grand Tours.\u00a0<\/p>\n
UAE have the money, it’s easier when this is the case. But they manage a team of sharks very well, having a very high amount of race days and combining their elite team with under-23’s to give opportunities to almost all of its riders to take wins throughout the year. That way when they have to work for their leaders, they do it willingly, as they don’t have to fear not having UCI points or results to show for, and they have had their own chances. It just works well and is a crucial part of managing a modern team.\u00a0<\/p>\n
97 wins in a year is absurd and no-one’s come even close, neither in quantity or quality. Riders like Tim Wellens, Jhonatan Narv\u00e1ez and Florian Vermeersch are racing at an extremely high level and would easily be leaders elsewhere in most classics, and the team continues to have an array of very young riders that could step up in the future to achieve even more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Signings-wise the loss of Ayuso does mean losing quality, but the management won’t be too bothered by it. There’s no big name signing but that’s because they kept all their other leaders, and I believe almost no-one in the team is unhappy with their position.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Their top-level performers remained consistent, but their domestiques, climbers, and opportunists scored victories that previously would have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":674630,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4104],"tags":[4230,77931,6080,79,16152,181698,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-674629","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-joao-almeida","10":"tag-review","11":"tag-sports","12":"tag-tadej-pogacar","13":"tag-uae-team-emirates-xrg","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115840446824049592","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=674629"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674629\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/674630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=674629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=674629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=674629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}