UAE Team Emirates XRG partners with sleep tech firm Eight Sleep ahead of 2026 season

UAE Team Emirates XRG announced it has entered a partnership with US-based Eight Sleep as the cycling team deepens its focus on recovery and performance ahead of the 2026 WorldTour season.

Under the agreement, the team will integrate Eight Sleep’s AI-enabled sleep system into its training and recovery programmes across training camps, altitude blocks and selected races, the parties said in a statement.

Smart beds track athlete recovery

Elite cycling teams have increasingly turned to data-driven recovery tools as performance margins at the top of the sport narrow, with sleep emerging as a key area of focus alongside nutrition and physical recovery methods.

The technology, which is fitted directly onto a bed, tracks physiological indicators including heart rate, breathing patterns and sleep stages, adjusting temperature and sleep conditions automatically during the night. The company says the system is designed to improve recovery without adding training load, particularly for athletes exposed to frequent travel and stage-race fatigue.

UAE Team Emirates XRG said the decision followed early adoption by individual riders, including two-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar, whose use of the system during multi-stage races helped prompt wider interest within the team.

“Recovery is essential to sustaining performance across a long and demanding season,” said Jeroen Swart, the team’s head of performance, adding that sleep was increasingly viewed as a controllable variable that could be optimised consistently.

Eight Sleep said its platform has been clinically tested and allows teams to monitor recovery trends over time, enabling more tailored decisions around training intensity, travel schedules and race preparation.

The partnership will be rolled out during pre-season testing and extend across the 2026 racing calendar, covering both the WorldTour squad and the team’s development programme, including riders such as Adam Yates, João Almeida and Isaac del Toro.

UAE Team Emirates XRG, backed by Abu Dhabi interests, has been among the most successful teams in professional cycling in recent seasons, while Eight Sleep has expanded its footprint among elite athletes across multiple sports.