This team bike gallery features the evolution of title sponsors and brands for what is now the number-one team in the world, UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
Essentially this team emerged out of the ashes of what was once Lampre, a brand that had a strong link with Italian brands (Wilier key amongst them) but there was also that season (2005) when Cannondale muscled its way in to the bike supply after a merger with what was the Saeco team.
Then came Merida’s dalliance with the WorldTour, originally with this team (and later with what had been Bahrain-Merida for a few years)… but when the Emirati sponsors arrived so too did Colnago and the brand established by Ernesto Colnago – that had slowly been fading into obscurity in the pro peloton – burst back into prominence.
The association with Colnago is stronger than ever. The frame shape changes – from a rather traditional double triangle frame from the end of the decade, to the dramatic aero iteration we see raced in the Tour de France in 2026 – is has been dramatic in recent years as Tadej Pogačar continues his domination of pro cycling.
Pogi’s winning ways began when the team’s Colnago bikes were fitted with Campagnolo groupsets but, since 2023, UAE Team Emirates has raced with Shimano (and ENVE wheels and cockpit).
