UAE Team Emirates-XRG have confirmed that Tim Wellens has signed a new contract keeping him with the team until the end of 2027, while Vegard Stake Laengen and Julius Johansen have both renewed through 2026. The announcement reinforces the Emirati squad’s focus on continuity and experience heading into the next phase of its development.
At 34, Tim Wellens remains one of the most complete and reliable riders in the modern peloton. A classics specialist and puncheur by trade, he has evolved into a key figure within UAE Team Emirates-XRG since joining in 2023, balancing his trademark attacking racing style with a vital leadership and support role.
Wellens’ longevity and consistency are reflected in a palmarès that spans more than a decade. Since turning professional midway through 2012 with Lotto–Belisol, he has collected nearly forty professional victories across stage races, one-day events, and Grand Tours.
His career breakthrough came in 2014 when he claimed the Eneco Tour (now Benelux Tour) overall title, sealing it with a decisive solo victory in Aywaille. He successfully defended the title in 2015, a season that also brought him his first major one-day triumph at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. From that point, Wellens established himself as one of the most aggressive and tactically astute riders in the peloton.
Photo Credit: GettyGrand Tour success and versatility
Wellens’ Grand Tour record is among the most diverse of any rider of his generation. He has won stages in all three of cycling’s Grand Tours – a rare achievement. His first came at the 2016 Giro d’Italia, when he powered clear on the stage to Roccaraso for a solo win. Two years later, he added another stage victory at Caltagirone, again on Italian soil.
In the 2020 Vuelta a España, Wellens won two stages in his debut appearance at the race, underlining his endurance and race intelligence. Five years later, he completed the set with a stage victory at the 2025 Tour de France, his first at cycling’s biggest event, crowning a remarkable career chapter that had already seen him play crucial roles for team leaders in both the Tour and other stage races.
In total, he has now won five Grand Tour stages: two at the Giro, two at the Vuelta, and one at the Tour de France.
Photo Credit: GettyA stage race specialist and Classics contender
Alongside his Grand Tour achievements, Wellens has been a prolific winner in week-long stage races. He has claimed four overall victories at the Benelux Tour (2014, 2015, 2023, 2024), a record unmatched by any rider. His attacking style and ability to excel on short climbs and in time trials have also earned him overall wins at the Tour de Pologne (2016), the Tour of Guangxi (2017), the Vuelta a Andalucía (2018) and the Tour de Wallonie (2018).
A specialist in hilly one-day races, Wellens’ biggest Classic triumph came at Brabantse Pijl in 2018, where he soloed to victory ahead of a group of favourites. He has also been a perennial top-10 performer at races such as Strade Bianche, Amstel Gold Race, and La Flèche Wallonne, frequently animating the finale with long-range attacks.
His versatility extends to national success. Wellens won the Belgian National Time Trial Championships in 2024 and followed it up by taking the Belgian National Road Race title in 2025, adding two prestigious home victories to his already extensive record.
A new chapter with UAE Team Emirates-XRG
Since joining UAE Team Emirates in 2023, Wellens has seamlessly fitted into the team’s system, becoming a trusted lieutenant for leaders like Tadej Pogačar while still seizing his own opportunities. His first win for the team came at the Vuelta a Andalucía, triumphing on the familiar cobbled climb of Alcalá de los Gazules, a location where he had previously won twice before.
Despite injuries interrupting his 2023 season, Wellens returned strongly in 2024, winning both the Belgian time trial title and the Renewi Tour overall for a record fourth time. In 2025, he confirmed his enduring class by winning the Belgian road title, taking a Tour de France stage, and finishing on the podium at Strade Bianche.
For UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Wellens’ renewal is as much about leadership as results. His experience across Grand Tours and Classics makes him an invaluable mentor for the younger generation of riders. The Belgian has become a key figure in shaping the team’s racing identity – aggressive, intelligent, and dependable.
“I feel truly appreciated within this team,” Wellens said. “It’s a place where I can contribute to the success of others but still have my own chances to win. The professionalism and ambition of UAE Team Emirates make it the perfect environment for me to keep developing and giving my best.”
Stability and strength around him
The announcement also included extensions for Vegard Stake Laengen and Julius Johansen, two riders who have become vital to the team’s cohesion. Laengen, 36, has been with UAE since 2017, serving as a trusted road captain and engine room across Grand Tours. Johansen, 26, continues his upward trajectory as a versatile rider who provides key support in stage races and Classics alike.
Together, the trio represent a blend of experience and reliability that will help UAE Team Emirates-XRG maintain its status as one of the sport’s benchmark teams.
For Wellens, the extension to 2027 not only underlines his continued value but also cements his place as one of the defining all-rounders of his generation – a rider capable of attacking, supporting, and winning across the full breadth of the professional calendar.
