Spanish champion Mavi García will continue her professional cycling career at the age of 42, extending her contract with UAE Team L’IMAD for the 2027 season.
The extension adds another chapter to a career that had initially been expected to end after 2026. García returned to the UAE team this season, having previously raced for the project in 2022, and has continued to show that she can compete at a high level in the women’s peloton.
At the same time, her experience has given her an increasingly important role within the team, particularly in supporting younger riders.
“Overall, I’m very happy,” García says. “There are always things I would have liked to do better and that, because of a crash or for another reason, didn’t turn out as I expected. But so far I’ve had a very good level of performance and I think I’ve been able to contribute a lot to the team.”
García returns to a transformed UAE Team L’IMAD
García’s return in 2026 brought her back to a significantly different organisation from the one she left four years earlier.
When she previously raced for the UAE project in 2022, the team had only been established for a year. Since then, she has seen considerable development across its structure, organisation and roster.
“I left the team when it had only been created one year earlier, and when I came back the change was quite big. It has grown in every sense, both in terms of structure and the level of the riders and organization.”
In 2026, García brought her experience back to UAE Team L’IMAD and took on an important supporting role at some of the season’s biggest races. She also competed across all three Grand Tours.
“There have been quite a few special moments,” García says. “The most recent was at the Tour, when on the final day we achieved the podium with Elisa, and also at the Vuelta. But I also have to mention the training camps organised by the team. They have been very rewarding experiences, where we worked hard but always had an extraordinary atmosphere.”
Experience shapes García’s next chapter
The team’s sporting ambitions and environment have played a major part in García’s decision to extend her career.
Her continued presence will also allow her to use the experience accumulated across her career to support the development of UAE Team L’IMAD’s younger riders.
“2022 here was the best year of my sporting career and I learned so much from the team. Now the team has given me the opportunity to finish my sporting career here, helping the young riders and the team improve with everything I can contribute. That gives me satisfaction and makes me want to be part of the Team’s continuous improvement.”
For García, continuing to race at 42 is also an opportunity to challenge expectations around longevity in professional cycling.
“Maybe there are people who don’t understand it at my age, but this year I have really enjoyed racing with the team. I’m at a point where I can finally say that I have learned everything there is to learn in this sport. Because I started so late, everything happened differently.”
Her ability to continue performing at a high level has also been a major factor in the decision.
“Anyone would pay to have a job that used to be their hobby, and I consider myself very fortunate to be able to continue doing a little more of what I love most, especially considering that my level is still very high. It can also be a motivation for other riders because, after all, this is a job where you always have to keep breaking barriers whenever possible.”
Team environment influences decision to continue
García also highlighted the relationships she has developed within UAE Team L’IMAD as another reason to stay for 2027.
“It’s very important to be able to feel comfortable and be in a good environment with the girls, and I have that here. We have spent a lot of time together this year and we are becoming more and more united. When you spend so much time away from home, that is really, really important.”
Melissa Moncada, President of UAE Team L’IMAD, welcomed García’s decision and highlighted the wider contribution she makes beyond her race results.
“We are very happy that Mavi has chosen to continue her journey with us. Her value to this team goes far beyond the results she can achieve in races. Mavi brings experience, leadership, knowledge and an extraordinary work ethic, and she has become an important figure for our young riders. Her return in 2026 allowed us to rediscover someone we already knew, but also to see how much our team has grown since 2022. We are proud that she has decided to continue with us and we are convinced that she still has a great deal to give to this project.”
García looks ahead to another season at 42
García’s 2027 race programme and longer-term plans have yet to be defined. However, the contract extension confirms that she will remain in the professional peloton for another season with UAE Team L’IMAD.
Her role will combine racing with supporting the wider team, while García intends to continue enjoying the sport she originally entered later than many of her rivals.
“Of course, the objective will be to help the team in many ways and continue enjoying the races I take part in. We still have to discuss what I will do and in what way. I’m ready for anything, as always, but this time we’re going to take it a little more calmly.”
For UAE Team L’IMAD, García’s extension retains one of the peloton’s most experienced riders for another year. For García, meanwhile, 2027 offers another opportunity to compete at the highest level while helping the next generation develop around her.
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