What\u2019s significant is that these latest two deals see more long-term contracts among the peloton\u2019s richest teams.<\/p>\n
UAE\u2019s new teenage gem is 19-year-old Adri\u00e0 Pericas of Spain, who pens a deal through 2030, the same year UAE has Tadej Poga\u010dar locked down.<\/p>\n
Lidl-Trek will keep homegrown talent Vacek in team colors through 2029, making it the longest contract for the new-look team if you\u2019re not counting Mads Pedersen, on a \u201cforever contract\u201d with the U.S.-German-backed squad.<\/p>\n
Also read: All the wild rumors and big transfers shaking up the market<\/a><\/p>\n With more sponsor money flooding into team ownership \u2014 Lidl recently bought a controlling interest in the WorldTour squad \u2014 riders are signing unprecedented five-year-plus deals.<\/p>\n These two new contracts, confirmed Monday, show how the sport\u2019s biggest budgets are now playing the long game. Both deals have significance for each time, let\u2019s dive in:<\/p>\n UAE doubles down on youth It\u2019s not exactly like UAE is looking for the next Poga\u010dar, but in reality, it is.<\/p>\n At 27, Poga\u010dar has already hinted he might not race beyond his current deal that runs through 2030. UAE\u2019s front office isn\u2019t waiting around to find his successor.<\/p>\n Pericas joins another 19-year-old wunderkind Pablo Torres in a swelling youth core that includes Juan Ayuso, Isaac del Toro, Antonio Morgado, and Jan Christen \u2014 all under 25 and already producing wins in the WorldTour.<\/p>\n Pericas will step up from UAE\u2019s Gen Z development team after a breakthrough season, including a top-10 at the Giro d\u2019Italia U23 and a stage win at Croatia\u2019s Istrian Spring Tour, with his next big test being the Tour de l\u2019Avenir in August.<\/p>\n We\u2019re proud to confirm that 19-year-old Spanish talent @adriapericas<\/a> will step up from our Gen Z development team to the WorldTour roster in 2026 on a five-year deal.<\/p>\n From his roots in Tona, Catalonia to standout results like a stage win at the Istrian Spring Tour and a\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/6quNXllfjJ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) August 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve watched his development closely through the Gen Z structure, and we believe he has the qualities to be a part of our long-term project,\u201d said team boss Mauro Gianetti. \u201cThe focus will be for him to continue to grow with us, both as a rider and as a person.\u201d<\/p>\n For UAE, the Pericas signing reinforces a strategy of scouting young riders, keeping them in-house on its development squad, and then bumping the best ones to the WorldTour team.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a big-money, big-picture bet that UAE hopes will pay off with super-sized grand tour-caliber returns a few years down the road.<\/p>\n Lidl-Trek locks in Vacek through 2029 With classics stalwarts Jasper Stuyven heading to Soudal Quick-Step and Tim Declercq retiring, Lidl-Trek is banking its cobbled future on Vacek.<\/p>\n The 23-year-old Czech champion has grown steadily since joining in 2023 with a string of promising results. In 2025, he backed Pedersen\u2019s sprint wins at the Giro d\u2019Italia, and doubled up on Czech national road and TT titles before winning a stage and finishing runner-up overall at the Tour de Wallonie.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s now my third year in the team and I\u2019m super happy with how I\u2019m developing,\u201d Vacek said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t imagine making such a jump to the top level. The team trusted me, gave me freedom, and now I can pay them back with results. I\u2019ve worn white in the Vuelta and the Giro, now I\u2019d like to do it at the Tour. The classics are my favorite races, and I know I have the power to be a big player.\u201d<\/p>\n We\u2019re locked in with Mathias Vacek for four more years<\/p>\n \ufe0f https:\/\/t.co\/xELfukOFhd<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/XOjcDQ6Z8j<\/a><\/p>\n
\n![\"Adri\u00e0](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2220063140-720x480.jpg\")
Pericas, shown here at Giro Next Gen, makes the leap to the WorldTour. (Photo: Tommaso Berardi\/NurPhoto via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\n![\"Vacek\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2227564426-720x567.jpg\")
Vacek celebrates a win at the Tour de Wallonie in July. (Photo: Luc Claessen\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n