The boy from Tona who will race alongside Tadej Pogacar

BarcelonaAdrià Pericas (Tona, 2006) had been showing signs of his talent for some time. This week, it was confirmed that the 19-year-old cyclist from Osona had signed his first professional contract with UAE Team Emirates, the best cycling team currently in the world, led by Slovenian Tadej Pogacar. Pericas will share a team with Marc Soler from Villanueva, as well as Pablo Torres from Madrid, Igor Arrieta from Navarra, and Juan Ayuso from Valencia, the best Spanish cyclist currently in Spain.

From 2026 to 2030, Pericas will be able to continue developing thanks to a firm commitment from the UAE. In fact, right now, no Spanish cyclist has a contract on the professional circuit until 2030. The Tona native was already under the UAE umbrella with his training team, Gen-Z, where he had finished in the top ten in the U-23 Giro d'Italia and won a stage in the Tour of Istria in Croatia. He's very good at time trials and doesn't shy away from hills. He's achieved good results in mountain stages, and in 2023, when he was just 17 years old, an image of him going viral on a very tough hill at the Glasgow World Championships, holding the pace of one of the best cyclists of the moment, Mathieu van der Poel.

Now it's his turn to take a step forward. "It's a dream come true. I've worked to reach this level since I was little, and now a new era is opening up for me to continue learning and growing," he explains. UAE Team Emirates CEO Mauro Gianetti says the cyclist "has shown a maturity and consistency that's rare for a rider of his age," adding: "We believe in his potential, and this long-term contract reflects our commitment to his development."

Born on May 26, 2006, in Tona, Adrià Pericas began cycling at the Jufré Vic school. It was his first home, and he's never forgotten it, as he made clear a few weeks ago when he visited the Jufré summer camp to explain to the little ones what the life of a professional cyclist is like. Josep Jufré, professional from 1996 to 2012 With participations in the Giro and the Tour, he would be one of his first mentors. Pericas would then move to Team Torrent-Tadesan-Purito. Purito Rodríguez already warned of Pericas' talent in 2024, when he was a Spanish junior champion and won multiple international category events. Some of the best Catalan cyclists of recent decades, such as Jufré and Purito, had already sponsored him. It was only a matter of time before he was discovered by the UAE, who incorporated him into their training team.

Pericas won the second stage of the Istrian Spring Tour (Croatia) this year, and even wore the leader's jersey. He then achieved a creditable fifth place in the Tour of Rwanda, competing against professionals, and entered the top 10 of the Giro juniors. In fact, he has already been called up to participate in some races with the UAE first team, such as the Tour of Al Ula (Saudi Arabia) and the Vuelta a Murcia. His next challenge will be the Tour de l'Avenir, which is expected to arrive in 2026, the year that will completely change his life.