Pauliena Rooijakkers will join UAE Team ADQ for the 2026 season, signing a two-year contract that will run through 2027. The 32-year-old Dutch climber moves from Fenix-Deceuninck, where she has spent the past three years and achieved the most successful results of her career.
Rooijakkers, from Schijndel in the Netherlands, is regarded as one of the peloton’s most consistent general classification riders. She finished third overall at the 2024 Tour de France Femmes, securing her first Grand Tour podium, and has twice placed fourth overall at the Giro d’Italia Women. Her results at stage races such as Itzulia Women, where she finished second in 2022, have confirmed her reputation as one of the strongest climbers in the women’s WorldTour.
Her two professional victories came at Durango-Durango in 2022 and on stage 7 of the Tour Féminin l’Ardèche in 2017, but Rooijakkers is better known for her reliability and endurance in multi-day races.
Explaining her move, Rooijakkers said that UAE Team ADQ’s organisation and ambitions convinced her to make the switch. “UAE Team ADQ has shown a very professional structure and clear ambitions, with strong leaders like Elisa Longo Borghini and a constant focus on winning. The team’s vision, the way they work, and their attention to detail convinced me that this was the right place to continue my career,” she said.
“I see myself as a hardworking support rider for the team, but also as someone who can show her strengths, especially in the mountains. My main goal for the new season is to be there for my teammates in the biggest races, like the Giro and the Tour. Of course, I also aim to stay consistent and achieve strong personal performances, but the team’s success always comes first.”
UAE Team ADQ president Melissa Moncada said Rooijakkers’ signing would bring experience and balance to the squad. “We truly value Pauliena Rooijakkers’ qualities – she’s a strong, dedicated, and experienced rider with a great team spirit. We’re confident that her arrival will bring even more balance, stability, and experience to our group, which will also be very important for our younger riders,” Moncada said.
Rooijakkers’ arrival strengthens UAE Team ADQ’s ambitions in stage racing, adding depth alongside Elisa Longo Borghini as the team looks to challenge for Grand Tour podiums in 2026 and beyond.
