Slovenian youngster moves from UAE Development Team to Alpecin-Deceuninck: "Always been my favorite team"

Looking at Alpecin-Deceuninck's transfer strategy over the past winter, one trend stands out: rejuvenation. The Roodhooft brothers’ team promoted four talents from their development squad, signed former U23 world champion Johan Price Pejtersen, and secured Slovenian rider Gal Glivar. IDLProCycling.com got to know the latest addition.

Glivar is a 22-year-old rider from Slovenia, who was practically born into cycling. His father, Srecko Glivar, was also a professional cyclist—runner-up in the 1993 Tour of Slovenia—and is currently a sports director at Adria Mobil, the same team where Primoz Roglic started his career in the pro peloton.

It’s no surprise then that Gal Glivar followed the path of many Slovenian talents through Adria Mobil. He joined their junior squad in 2019 before moving up to the pro team in 2021. His performances there caught the attention of UAE Team Emirates, where he earned a stagiaire spot at the end of 2023.

A WorldTour contract didn’t materialize at that point, but Glivar made sure that wouldn’t be a problem for 2025. He kicked off his season with a victory at the Tour of Sharjah, followed by a win at the Giro del Belvedere. He also finished seventh in the U23 Gent-Wevelgem and wrapped up his strong season with a third-place finish at Il Lombardia U23.

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Glivar enjoying his early days at Alpecin-Deceuninck

"I'm a rider who thrives on short, explosive climbs and I'm also not slow in a sprint with a small group," Gal Glivar said when announcing his move to Alpecin-Deceuninck. "My short-term goal is to make a strong start in the WorldTour, but in the long run, I want to win big races and compete in the Tour de France."

That strong start in the WorldTour is already underway. "The first few months with the team have been great. There's a relaxed atmosphere, and I have to say, I'm really enjoying it," said the 22-year-old Slovenian.

He kicked off his season in Australia, racing the Tour Down Under. "It was hot. And tough," Glivar smiled. "But it's really fun to race at this level, and I'm happy to be in the mix. The pace is higher, and everyone is in top form, so you have to make sure you're at that level too."

So how did he end up at Alpecin-Deceuninck? "It was my favorite team, because of the races they've won and how they've won them. That was already the case when I was still riding for UAE’s development team, so I’m really happy to be racing for them now. They always race aggressively, and that suits me perfectly."

Read more below the photo!

Glivar may immediately ride nice program in the WordTour

When asked about his long-term ambitions, Gal Glivar remains understandably cautious. “I’m still developing, so the future will determine how far I can go.”

For now, his short-term focus is on some exciting races. Glivar is on the provisional start list for Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico, the Tour of Catalonia, the Ardennes triple, and the Critérium du Dauphiné—all major races. "If I stay healthy and in good shape, it's possible that I’ll get to race them."

In Tirreno-Adriatico, he will be linked up with Mathieu van der Poel for the first time. “I haven’t spoken with him yet, but I did with Jasper Philipsen. They're really down-to-earth guys, just like everyone else on this team.”

Read also

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"Don’t be two minutes late"; Winter with Van der Poel was reality check for Philipsen

Van der Poel (with a stuffy nose) happy his team ignores criticism of him: "If they took that away from me..."

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