ABU DHABI, 10th September, 2026 (WAM) -- UAE Team Emirates-XRG will compete in a number of major one-day races in Canada and Italy as part of its preparations for the UCI Road World Championships, which begin on 20th September.
The team will open its campaign at the 205.5-kilometre Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec on Friday, before competing in the 214.6-kilometre Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal on Sunday alongside some of the world's leading riders.
The team's lineup for the two Canadian races includes Brandon McNulty, Isaac del Toro, Felix Großschartner, Jhonatan Narváez, Florian Vermeersch, Tim Wellens and Adam Yates, led by Sports Director Simone Pedrazzini.
The races will mark Mexican rider Isaac del Toro's first appearance on Canadian soil following his recent victory at the Tour de Luxembourg, while American Brandon McNulty returns to Montréal as the defending champion.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG will be seeking its first victory at the GP de Québec after Pavel Sivakov finished second last season. The team has an impressive record at the GP de Montréal, having won the past four editions through Tadej Pogačar in 2022 and 2024, Adam Yates in 2023 and Brandon McNulty in 2025.
This year's GP de Montréal features a more demanding route, with 16 laps of a 13-kilometre circuit around Mount Royal. The course includes the Côte de Camilien-Houde, Côte de Polytechnique and Côte Pagnuelo climbs, with a total elevation gain of 4,362 metres, providing a stern test ahead of the World Championships.
In Italy, the team will contest three consecutive races, starting with the Coppa Sabatini on Thursday, followed by the Memorial Marco Pantani on Saturday and Trofeo Matteotti on Sunday, under Sports Directors Fabio Baldato and Marco Marzano.
The team's lineup for the Coppa Sabatini includes Igor Arrieta, Filippo Baroncini, Jan Christen, Benoît Cosnefroy, Luca Giaimi, António Morgado and Adrià Pericas.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG will defend the Coppa Sabatini title won by Isaac del Toro last year. The team has won the past three editions, through Marc Hirschi in 2023 and 2024 and Del Toro in 2025.
The team will continue its Italian campaign at the Memorial Marco Pantani in and around Cesenatico on Saturday before concluding with the Trofeo Matteotti in Pescara on Sunday.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG has won four of the past seven editions of the Trofeo Matteotti, through Valerio Conti in 2020, Matteo Trentin in 2021, Sjoerd Bax in 2023 and Isaac del Toro in 2025.