Julius Johansen: I want to show the whole world that I deserve this spot 🇩🇰
The Dane is back in the WorldTour and will make his UAE Team Emirates-XRG debut at the Tour Down Under
After a year of racing in the Continental ranks with Sabgal / Anicolor, the Danish rider Julius Johansen is ready to prove that his return to the WorldTour with UAE Team Emirates - XRG is fully justified, and that he’s ready to make the most of his second chance.
For many, the 25-year-old’s move to UAE Team Emirates-XRG came as a shock.
The 2017 junior world road racing champion had slowly faded as a force on cycling’s main stage and reached the point where Intermarche Wanty - the team he raced for in 2022 and 2023 - deemed him as surplus to requirements. No other major team were willing to take a punt on the once-fancied Dane until Sabgal eventually rescued the rider with a one-season contract last March.
Johansen’s results in 2024 were steady but not spectacular but UAE’s sports manager, Matxin Joxean Fernandez, saw something in the rider’s profile that drew attention. In truth, Fernandez and the coaching team at UAE had been following Johansen’s career since the very start but when a potential spot opened up on Tadej Pogačar’s team, Johansen jumped at the chance to rekindle his fortunes and his career.
“I was super disappointed to leave the WorldTour last year. I had the opportunity to go to Sabgal where I had quite an okay race programme. I didn’t have the results that would lead to a contract with UAE but I was lucky to have the chance to do some testing with the team. I knew Matxin from before as he had been following me for a long time,” Johansen told us.