Italian rider Erica Magnaldi has extended her contract with UAE Team L’IMAD for another two seasons, keeping her with the team through the end of 2028.
Magnaldi has been part of the project since its beginning in 2022. Over the past five years, she has developed into a key figure within the squad, known for her consistency, reliability and willingness to work for her teammates.
Her contribution has supported several of UAE Team L’IMAD’s successes, while Magnaldi has also continued to pursue individual results across road and gravel racing.
“Overall, it has been a positive season,” Magnaldi says. “I contributed to some excellent team results, which for me is always like a personal success. I once again showed consistency and reliability, while also enjoying some personal satisfaction, especially with my results in Chambéry and in gravel, including the national title.”
During the season, Magnaldi also competed as Gravel European champion.
Vuelta victory among Magnaldi’s season highlights
Among her standout memories from the season, Magnaldi highlighted the team’s victory at the Vuelta and the celebrations that followed.
“One of the moments I will definitely remember is the Vuelta victory and the celebrations with the whole staff. It was truly an unforgettable moment of team unity.”
That sense of unity has become an important part of Magnaldi’s relationship with UAE Team L’IMAD.
After five years with the squad, she describes the relationships formed with teammates and staff as extending beyond the usual professional environment.
“UAE has given me, above all, a group of people, both teammates and staff, that I can rely on, almost like a second family. It has also always provided me with all the material and physical resources I need to perform at the highest level. And, last but not least, the team has shown its trust in me for five years and has now demonstrated that it wants to continue doing so.”
Shared ambition behind two-year extension
For Magnaldi, that trust and the team’s ambition to continue developing were central to her decision to sign for another two seasons.
“These are the reasons why I decided to renew, together with the fact that I share with this team a project based on continuous growth and ambition, not only individually but collectively.”
The new agreement will take Magnaldi’s relationship with UAE Team L’IMAD through to the end of 2028. It could also cover the final two seasons of her road racing career.
“I have renewed for another two years, probably the final two of my road career. Leaving the people who have accompanied me through the ups and downs of these years, right at the end of my career, would have been a risk and a shame. I’m ready to get the best out of these final two years.”
Team environment remains key for Magnaldi
The strength of the group around her has also been a decisive factor in Magnaldi’s decision to remain with UAE Team L’IMAD.
“The group is fundamental, perhaps the main reason why I have always wanted to stay. These girls know how to bring out the best in me and they know how to make even the most difficult moments feel lighter.”
Throughout her five years with the team, Magnaldi has embraced her role as a domestique, becoming a trusted presence for the team’s leaders and a rider teammates and staff can depend on during decisive moments in races.
Melissa Moncada, President of UAE Team L’IMAD, said Magnaldi embodies several of the values the team has sought to build since the project began.
“Erica represents perfectly some of the values on which we have built this team: reliability, selflessness, professionalism and a strong sense of belonging. Over the years she has been a valuable teammate and an important figure within our group. We are very happy that she has chosen to continue with us and we are convinced that her experience and qualities will remain fundamental over the next two seasons.”
Road and gravel ambitions continue
Looking towards the next stage of her career, Magnaldi wants to maintain her role as a dependable domestique while taking individual opportunities when they arise.
Gravel racing also remains part of her ambitions, with Magnaldi hoping to continue competing in the discipline alongside her road programme.
“In the new season I want to continue establishing myself as a valuable domestique and, why not, take some personal opportunities whenever possible. I also hope gravel will remain part of my season, with some new and exciting challenges.”
The two-year extension will keep one of UAE Team L’IMAD’s longest-serving riders with the squad through 2028, as Magnaldi looks to make the most of what could be the final two seasons of her road career.
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