![\"Paula](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/paulablasi-2-6a6ca3b0e21e5.jpg@webp.webp\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The UAE executive believes Blasi is still uncovering her full potential and that any doubts she may have about the team\u2019s structure are tied to her youth and limited experience. \u201cPaula is very young and has great talent she\u2019s still discovering. I\u2019ve had many conversations with her, I\u2019ve travelled to meet her, and I want to offer her the best the team can provide. I think Paula has a lot of doubts about the team, but I believe they come from inexperience because I\u2019ve spoken with her many times and the perfect team doesn\u2019t exist,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
One of the key points fuelling rumours of a possible exit is the \u20ac100,000 release clause in her contract. Moncada took responsibility for allowing that condition and called it a mistake.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, it was a stupid mistake and, at the end of the day, I\u2019m the only one responsible because the contract bears my signature. It was a stupid mistake, for sure, but it\u2019s not just about the clause. The contract has more details. They also need my agreement, so we\u2019ll see who can reach an agreement with me,\u201d she acknowledged.<\/p>\n
Paula Blasi drawn to Movistar Team<\/p>\n
The UAE president stressed that Blasi remains a rider for the team until December 2027 and made clear she does not want to keep a cyclist who is unhappy within the structure. \u201cPaula is our rider until December 2027, but I also don\u2019t want to keep a rider who isn\u2019t happy with us. In the end we do this out of love, and I think there are very few teams that represent their country; I think we\u2019re the only team in the women\u2019s peloton that represents a country. That\u2019s very important,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
On the rumours pointing to Movistar Team as the leading candidate to sign the Spaniard, Moncada admitted she understands the appeal of returning to a national project, but defended UAE\u2019s financial and sporting capacity to develop Blasi.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the reasons why Paula wants to leave, and the answer is still uncertain, is that she has great influence and wants to represent her country. She wants to be this champion of Spain and that\u2019s why she feels so attracted to Movistar, but the decision hasn\u2019t been made and Paula is my rider until the end of 2027,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
However, Moncada delivered a direct message about Blasi\u2019s potential and compared her situation to that of Tadej Poga\u010dar on the men\u2019s UAE Team Emirates-XRG. For the executive, the Spaniard has the chance to become the leading figure in women\u2019s cycling if she has the right structure around her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think a rider should ask herself if she wants to be the next Poga\u010dar of the women\u2019s peloton. If she only wants to have fun, that\u2019s easy, but if she wants to be the best, then she needs to be with a team prepared to make her the best, not today, but over the next five or eight years,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Moncada explained that Poga\u010dar\u2019s success isn\u2019t solely down to the team\u2019s budget, but to the complete investment around the rider. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about Paula; it\u2019s about investing in camps, coaches, everything she will need, and putting her on a bike designed exclusively for her, as Colnago does with our best riders. The competitive advantage we have means we go all-in,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The UAE president also moved to defend the stability of the project despite recent changes in team management and the departure of Yana Seel as team head. According to Moncada, Seel\u2019s exit is unrelated to Blasi\u2019s situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think Yana is part of this. I know there have been many comments and articles, but the decision is Paula\u2019s and only she knows what it will be. I don\u2019t know what her decision will be. It might not even be Movistar,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Blasi\u2019s low release clause<\/p>\n
On the possibility that another team will activate the clause, Moncada was clear: paying \u20ac100,000 is not enough. \u201cNo, they have to reach an agreement with me. They need my approval. One of the conditions of the clause is the team\u2019s consent, but as I said, we don\u2019t want to keep a rider who isn\u2019t happy,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
The executive cited the case of Juan Ayuso, who left UAE Team Emirates-XRG after requesting to move on. \u201cIt\u2019s the same thing that happened with Juan Ayuso: he wanted to leave, there was a financial understanding, and then he could go. Paula is still thinking. Alex Carera may know more, and Paula too, and I\u2019m very happy to talk with any team,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
For Moncada, Blasi\u2019s decision could shape the future of UAE\u2019s women\u2019s project. The Spaniard has become the team\u2019s emblem of ambition, and her staying would be a statement of intent to become the global reference point.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope she makes a wise decision and won\u2019t regret it in a couple of years. I know how confident I am in being able to provide her with the best,\u201d Moncada concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The UAE executive believes Blasi is still uncovering her full potential and that any doubts she may…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":839671,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,784,39552,85],"class_list":["post-839670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cycling","tag-movistar-team","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=839670"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839670\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/839671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=839670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=839670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=839670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}