Tadej Pogacar 'convinced' by strength of UAE Team Emirates Tour de France squad

Tadej Pogačar will be flanked by Adam Yates and Rafal Majka in the UAE Team Emirates squad as he bids to reclaim the Tour de France after being beaten into second a year ago.

The team was announced on Monday morning with two changes from the line-up that supported Pogačar in France in 2022.

Yates and fellow new arrival Felix Großschartner are the additions to the team, while Brandon McNulty, who raced the Giro d’Italia this season, and George Bennett, who crashed out of the Tour de Suisse, absentees on this occasion.

Mikkel Bjerg, Matteo Trentin, Vegard Stake Laengen and Marc Soler complete the  selection.

UAE Team Emirates have resisted the temptation to draft in Juan Ayuso, second at the Tour de Suisse, into their line-up, and the Spaniard will instead target the Vuelta a España. Newly-crowned Swiss champion Marc Hirschi and the injured Tim Wellens also miss out.

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Pogačar warmed up for the Tour by winning the time trial and road race at the Slovenian Championships, his first competitive outing since breaking his wrist in a crash at Liège-Bastogne-Liège in April.

The 24-year-old will undergo a final scan on his wrist on Monday before travelling to Bilbao for the Grand Départ.

Speaking at the Slovenian Championships, he suggested defending champion Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) was the favourite for the Tour.

“Jonas should be the first favourite because he was so dominant in the Dauphiné, and I'm coming off an injury,” Pogačar said, according to RTV Slovenija.

“I'm going into the Tour de France motivated, confident and convinced of the strength of the team. We'll see how it goes, but I'm aiming for victory.

“I have a last pre-Tour check-up and scan on Monday. I hope it's healed well, otherwise it's going to be a very difficult July. My wrist is not fully mobile, so it still hurts a little when I hit bumps in the road. It's not 100%, but I have to say that the form is solid regardless.”

Pogačar has enjoyed a remarkable 2023 campaign thus far, notching up 14 wins including the Tour of Flanders, Flèche Wallonne, Paris-Nice and Amstel Gold Race.

After winning the Tour in 2020 and 2021, Pogačar relinquished his crown to Vingegaard last summer, and they are expected to renew their duel at this year’s Tour, which gets underway on Saturday.

Vingegaard dominated the Critérium du Dauphiné in his final outing before the Tour, though Pogačar’s teammate Adam Yates underscored his form by placing second overall.

Yates joined Pogačar’s squad this season after two years with Ineos Grenadiers, while Großschartner arrived from Bora-Hansgrohe during the off-season.

Twelve months ago, UAE Team Emirates were beset by ill fortune at the Tour, with a combination of COVID-19 and injuries reducing them to just four riders in the final week of the race.

"I'm excited to start the Tour de France in the national champion's jersey. I've never experienced this before, but it will definitely be an extra motivation," Pogačar said.

"But we all know that the most important jersey is to be won out there on the road."

UAE Team Emirates for the Tour de France (July 1-23): Tadej Pogačar (Slo), Rafal Majka (Pol), Mikkel Bjerg (Den), Felix Großschartner (Aus), Marc Soler (Spa), Matteo Trentin (Ita), Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor) and Adam Yates (GBr).