Politt joins Pogacar team UAE

German professional cyclist Nils Politt is leaving the Bora-hansgrohe team after three years to join the UAE team of Tour de France runner-up Tadej Pogacar in the new year.

"I think this is one of the biggest teams in the world. It is therefore a further step in my career. I hope we can celebrate many successes together," said the 29-year-old Politt in the press release. He signed a three-year contract with the team until the end of 2026.

Politt, who will lead the German team in the road race at the World Championships in Glasgow on Sunday, is scheduled as co-captain for the classics and will support Pogacar. "That's definitely an honour for me, especially as you never know what will happen in a race like this and whether I won't get the green light. What's more, Pogacar won't be racing every classic in the spring. If he doesn't start, I would be in the running," Politt told the "Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger". During the contract negotiations, he was also assured that he would be number one in the Paris-Roubaix classic. "I'll start as captain, that's very important to me. And that was also honoured."

Whether Politt will also be part of Pogacar's Tour team will be discussed at the training camp in December. The rider from Cologne has recently taken part in the Tour seven times in a row. "It would be perfectly fine for me to start in the Giro d'Italia or the Tour of Spain."

The Cologne-based classics specialist is considered a versatile rider and celebrated his greatest success at the 2021 Tour de France, when he won a stage. In the same year, Politt also secured overall victory in the Tour of Germany. An agreement between Politt and the UAE team had already become apparent during this year's Tour. Team boss Mauro Gianetti said: "He has proven himself to be a very strong rider and should strengthen our team both in classics races and tours."

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