Women’s WorldTour team UAE Team ADQ will have a new name from August 1, becoming UAE Team L’IMAD for the Tour de France Femmes and beyond.
The Emirati squad has been UAE Team ADQ since the UAE set-up took over Alé BTC Ljubljana’s licence for the 2022 season, supported by the UAE government and ADQ, which is a sovereign wealth fund based in Abu Dhabi.
However, ADQ has recently been absorbed into L’IMAD, another Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund reportedly worth $300 billion and chaired by Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
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Therefore, the women’s team will be renamed from August 1, ready for the Tour de France Femmes and the rest of the season, where Elisa Longo Borghini and Paula Blasi will be their most important riders. Their kit and team identity are set to stay the same for the rest of 2026, apart from the name change on the front.
“We are deeply grateful and proud to count on the long-term support of an important partner such as L’IMAD,” team president Melissa Moncada said.
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“As the organisation continues its growth and international expansion, it has reaffirmed its commitment to our team and project. Together, we want to continue advancing the future of women’s cycling, both globally and within the United Arab Emirates. Our name is changing, but our vision, philosophy, and ambitions remain exactly the same.”
As Moncada states, the name change is unlikely to mean all that much in practice, and indeed isn’t even as significant as a change in sponsor – it is just an Emirati sovereign wealth fund by another name. The money that bankrolls the team will come from largely the same sources.
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Since becoming UAE Team ADQ in 2022, the team has been slowly growing in stature and success, largely thanks to what is understood to be one of the biggest budgets in the women’s peloton. They also have a successful development squad.
The arrival of Elisa Longo Borghini in 2025 was a particular turning point, one of the team’s biggest ever signings, which has not only netted them wins at races like the Giro d’Italia but also helped them attract bigger signings for 2026, including Mavi García and Pauliena Rooijakkers.
This year, the team’s revelation has been Paula Blasi, who won Amstel Gold Race and La Vuelta Femenina, but despite their big budget, they are expected to lose the Spanish star who has garnered attention – and, we understand, large salary offers – from many rival teams.
UAE Team L’IMAD have not confirmed their line-up for the Tour de France Femmes yet, but they are expected to select Longo Borghini, Blasi, and 2025 Tour revelations, fourth-placed Dominika Włodarczyk, and two-time stage winner Maëva Squiban amongst their seven-rider roster.
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