Pierre Gautherat will join UAE Team Emirates-XRG from Decathlon CMA CGM for the 2027 season after signing a three-year contract through to the end of 2029.
The 23-year-old Frenchman arrives as a developing Classics rider who has already built several seasons of WorldTour experience. His move gives UAE another option for the northern one-day races while also taking one of Decathlon CMA CGM’s most promising young riders out of a French programme he has been part of since turning professional.
Gautherat adds more depth to UAE’s Classics group
Gautherat’s results over the past two seasons explain the appeal. He took his first professional victory with a stage win at the 2025 Four Days of Dunkirk, having already finished second at the Gran Premio Castellón in 2024 and on the podium at Tro-Bro Léon in both 2024 and 2025.
His 2026 season has brought another step forward. Gautherat won Paris-Camembert in March, finished second at the Classique Dunkerque and fourth at Tro-Bro Léon, while September brought second- and third-place stage finishes at the Tour de Luxembourg. Those results have reinforced his profile as a rider suited to hard one-day races rather than a single narrow type of finish.
“I feel that this is the right environment for me to take another step forward,” Gautherat said after the move was confirmed. He added that the Classics remain the races that motivate him most and that he wants to keep progressing towards the biggest one-day events.
A long-term move after four seasons in the Decathlon structure
Gautherat has spent his entire professional career within the same French structure, first under the AG2R Citroën name, then Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale and most recently Decathlon CMA CGM. He turned professional in 2023 and has gradually moved from a development role into a rider given more freedom in the Classics.
The switch to UAE Team Emirates-XRG gives him a very different environment. The Emirati squad already has one of the deepest rosters in the WorldTour and has continued to strengthen beyond its Grand Tour core, adding riders capable of contributing across the spring Classics and other one-day races.
For Gautherat, the length of the deal is significant. A contract through 2029 gives him three seasons to develop within that structure rather than arriving on a short-term agreement that would immediately put pressure on results. UAE have described him as a rider who can add depth to their Classics group while continuing to chase opportunities of his own.
The move also adds another confirmed change to the Men’s Cycling Transfers Hub ahead of 2027, with UAE continuing to reshape the squad around both established leaders and younger riders who can take on larger roles over the next few seasons.
