UAE and Pogacar are not only focusing on Vingegaard for the Tour: "Maybe it’s just Remco this year"

While the traditional spring classics are getting underway after the first Monument, some teams are already paying attention to the grand tours. Although UAE Team Emirates - XRG with Tadej Pogacar still has plenty of goals to achieve in the classics (Roubaix perhaps?), sports director Joxean Fernandez Matxin is already setting his sights on the Tour de France. There, he expects to deal with Jonas Vingegaard and other top favorites.

After a third place in the 2019 Vuelta, Pogacar confidently set off for his first Tour de France in 2020. Even though he was only 21 then, the Slovenian was a force to be reckoned with in France. Ultimately, in stage 20 – the bizarre time trial on the Planche des Belles Filles – Pogacar put his stamp on La Grande Boucle. His fellow countryman Primoz Roglic was defeated convincingly on the very last day.

Roglic was out for revenge a year later, but a crash in the third stage forced him to give up days later. The then 24-year-old Vingegaard was suddenly promoted to the role of leader of Jumbo-Visma, but Pogacar clearly showed no restraint. The Slovenian raced to his second Tour victory with an overwhelming performance, and Jumbo-Visma again finished second.

In the years that followed, Jumbo-Visma successfully reversed the trend. In 2022, it won the Tour spectacularly with Vingegaard after dropping Pogacar on the Col du Granon. A year later, the Killer Bees repeated the stunt with a fine display of teamwork, leaving the Slovenian from UAE Team Emirates to settle for second place. In 2024, Pogacar's turn took the yellow jersey to Paris with remarkable dominance.

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Pogacar won his third Tour de France last year

"I don't think it's just about those two guys," Matxin said of the Tour favorites

For example, only two winners have won the past five Tours de France. Also, in the other essential stage races, Pogacar and Vingegaard seem to face off against each other, while the competition often does not seem to come close. However, team manager Matxin does not consider this a head-to-head battle in the upcoming Tour.

"In my opinion, it's not just about those two guys," the Spaniard tells the Danish newspaper Feltet. Matxin also knows who else to take into account. "Maybe Remco (Evenepoel, ed.) has taken their game to the next level, and new riders are coming. We're not just focusing on Jonas. There are a lot of important guys."

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Evenepoel along with Pogacar and Vingegaard on the podium of the 2024 Tour de France

"There are not many people who have the experience to win," Matxin says, looking at the competition

With three final victories for Pogacar and two for Vingegaard, the team manager sees UAE as making a significant difference in the competition. "There are not many people who have the experience to win. Maybe it's only Remco this year, but the same applied to Jonas and Tadej for their first victory," the Spaniard points out.

Yet Matxin also seems to recognize that Vingegaard will be the biggest threat to Pogacar. "He is super professional and disciplined. He will work hard to reach a top level for the Tour de France. He is a super rival, our most important rival," the 54-year-old sports director concludes with praise.

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