UAE Team Emirates is truly broke and has great faith in young Spanish teenage climber Pablo Torres in the longest stipulated term contract in professional cycling (Photo: Tour de L’Avenir)
UAE Team Emirates has been at the forefront of signing very young riders to long-term contracts and putting their names on contracts while they are still in their junior year. But this time, the Emirati-funded team have pushed the envelope and signed 18-year-old Pablo Torres to a contract until 2030.
Although this is the longest fixed-term contract in professional cycling, Wout van Aert currently has an open contract with Bisma Lease-A-Bike, which will run until the end of his career.
Spanish teenager Torres featured in the UAE’s Gen Z development squad this year, playing for a year as an U23 before stepping up to the World Tour squad and playing for the next six seasons. He really impressed on the climb and achieved great results in great style.
Torres finished second overall in this year’s Tour de L’Avenir behind Briton Joseph Blackmore, but it was the way he climbed during that race that really impressed. He set a new record on the climb of Colle delle Finestre in Apline, Italy, winning the final stage of the summit from Blackmore in 3 minutes 43 seconds.
Mauro Jannetty, President of UAE Team Emirates, said: “We are a team that remains dedicated to nurturing future talent, and we believe that Pablo Torres is a rider with the right qualifications to step up to the World Tour.” “There is,” he said. “He is a young rider and the focus will be on his development as a rider and as a person.”
Torres said he is very keen to progress over the next few years and become one of the best riders in the world.
“My dream is to be one of the best riders and I’m going to do everything I can to get there,” Torres said. “I’m happy that people believe in me, but it’s still too early to know what kind of rider I can become and what level I can reach.”