UAE Team Emirates – XRG will face two prominent challenges this week as the squad takes part in the Tour de Suisse and the Tour of Belgium, targeting title defences in both races while continuing its strong run of results on the world stage.
Slovenian Tadej Pogačar will lead the team at the Tour de Suisse, which begins tomorrow and runs until 21 June, marking his first appearance in the race as part of his preparations for the upcoming Tour de France.
Pogačar enters the race following a successful preparation period that included a high-altitude training camp, as well as his recent victory at the Tour de Romandie, bolstering his title ambitions and the team's record of achievements in recent years.
UAE Team Emirates carries fond memories of the Tour de Suisse, having claimed the title in each of the past two editions — through Britain's Adam Yates in 2024 and Portugal's João Almeida in 2025 — in addition to securing seven stage victories across both editions.
The team's lineup for the race features Austrian Felix Großschartner, American Brandon McNulty, Ecuadorian Jhonatan Narváez, Slovenian Domen Novak, German Nils Politt, and Belgian Tim Wellens, under the supervision of sports directors Andrej Hauptman, Marco Marcato, and Simone Pedrazzini.
At the same time, the team will field a squad bolstered by young talent at the Tour of Belgium, held from 18 to 22 June, to defend the title claimed last year by Italian Filippo Baroncini in the race's 95th edition.
Colombian Sebastián Molano spearheads the team's hopes in the sprint stages after delivering strong performances in the previous edition. The lineup also includes Italian Luca Giaimì, Belgian Ron Geerligodts, Dane Julius Johansen, Portuguese Rui Oliveira, Belgian Florian Vermeersch, and Austrian Haimo Vogt.