Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
Tadej Pogačar will be leading a pack of 140 riders when they line up for the opening stage of the seventh UAE Tour on Monday morning.
Organised by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the one and only UCI WorldTour race in the Middle East will once again feature a star-studded field, starting with no less than the world champion, world ranking leader and the Tour de France holder Pogačar once again the man to beat in the colours of the host team UAE Team Emirates XRG.
The Slovenian even sent out an ominous warning. “So far, I’ve started every single season with some doubts about my preparation,” Pogačar said at a news conference at Hudayriat Island on Sunday. “I hope my shape is good enough to compete at the highest level again. Fingers crossed that it’s like last year and the years before. As long as I’m eager and motivated to start the season, I’ll give my best.
“It has always been a dream of mine to be the world champion. Finally I have the rainbow jersey, it feels unreal to ride every day with it and to come here in the home country of the team with this jersey is amazing. It’s great to be able to show it here.”
The Tour will comprise seven stages like last year, but the champion cyclist and two-time winner (2021 and 2022) refused to concede that the mountain stages to Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah (Stage 3) and the final-day climb to Jebel Hafeet, Al Ain, remain the only two important stages. “The time trial is important at the UAE Tour but I don’t think it’ll make a big difference, maybe a few seconds. It’s not long, so I believe the biggest gaps can open in echelons in the crosswinds,” said Pogačar.
There will be some who would like to challenge him, especially on that, such as the defending champion Lennert Van Eetvelt, the breakout star of 2024 and winner on Jebel Hafeet. Yet, Van Eetvelt told the gathering that he is an underdog here: “It’s a very nice feeling to come back and see your name on the trophy as the defending champion. It was awesome. It was a bit of a surprise and I’m glad to sit here alongside Tadej. We never want to start a race for finishing second but when he starts, it’s hard to compete with him and being realistic, it’s a race for the second place.”
Other top contenders for the general classification include Pello Bilbao, Carlos Rodríguez, Alexey Lutsenko, Giulio Ciccone, and Einer Rubio.
Bilbao agreed with the calculations partly with Van Eetvelt. “We all know the two classical climbs of the UAE Tour. They are single climbs at end of a stage. It’s kind of a test for all riders. The only way to beat Pogacar would be to surprise him on a flat section but even that, we know it’ll be very difficult. Being short, the time trial might be important for the podium but not for the overall victory.”
There is also great excitement for the battle among the sprinters, as many of the world’s fastest finishers will compete in the multiple sprint opportunities throughout the race. Among them are Tim Merlier, the record holder with five stage wins, Jasper Philipsen and Dylan Groenewegen with two stage wins each, Olav Kooij, who claimed a stage victory in 2024, and Jonathan Milan, returning to the race after already securing a win early in the season.
Merlier said: “It would be nice to make a hat trick with winning Stage 1 once again. But the competition is very high... It looks from my first race that my legs are good and I’ll have some opportunities to try and win a stage here.”
| OFFICIAL JERSEYS |
| Red – Leader of the General Classification, sponsored by International Holding Co Green – Leader of the Points Classification, sponsored by Mubadala White – Best Young Rider, sponsored by Nakheel Black – Leader of the Intermediate Sprint Classification, sponsored by ALDAR |
