UAE Team Emirates-XRG names squad for the Tour de Hongrie

UAE Team Emirates-XRG head to the Tour de Hongrie this week with an ambitious and balanced squad led by the in-form Benoît Cosnefroy, as the team targets stage victories and a strong general classification result in the five-day Hungarian stage race.

Fresh from his victory at the GP du Morbihan and a series of strong performances during the Ardennes campaign, Cosnefroy will spearhead the Emirati challenge on a route expected to favour punchy climbers and versatile classics-style riders.

The 2026 edition will cover more than 836 kilometres across five stages, beginning with a likely sprint opportunity before gradually becoming more selective as the race progresses east across Hungary. Several rolling stages featuring short climbs and technical finales are expected to create aggressive racing and opportunities for breakaways.

The key GC battleground is expected to come on stage 4 from Mohacs to Pécs.

An undulating and technical closing stage with rolling terrain could also offer opportunities for late attacks and movement in the overall classification before the arrival in Veszprem.

Supporting Cosnefroy will be an experienced and versatile group featuring Vegard Stake Laengen, Sebastián Molano, and Rui Oliveira, alongside rising Spanish talent Adrià Pericas and Emirati youngster Mohammed Almutaiwai, who steps up from the UAE Team Emirates Gen Z development squad for the race.

For Almutaiwai, the race marks another important step in his progression, with the young Emirati rider gaining valuable experience alongside the WorldTour squad as part of UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s continued commitment to developing emerging talent through the Gen Z pathway.

The team will be guided by the capable duo of Sports Directors Andrej Hauptman and Yousif Mirza.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG lineup:

– Mohammed Almutaiwai
– Benoît Cosnefroy
– Vegard Stake Laengen
– Sebastián Molano
– Rui Oliveira
– Adria Pericas

Benoît Cosnefroy: “I’m coming into the race with good feelings after the last weeks and the motivation is high. To get my first win for the team in Morbihan was really nice and I want to continue seeking good results for myself and for the team. The route looks interesting with some harder days later in the week. We have a strong and balanced team here and we’ll look to race actively and fight for results every day.”