'Yates will be my right hand man': Tadej Pogačar confirms UAE Team Emirates squad for fast approaching Tour de France
Adam Yates, Juan Ayuso and João Almeida all set to back Pogačar as he gets set to challenge for third Tour victory


Tadej Pogačar has confirmed the full UAE Team Emirates squad for the fast approaching Tour de France as he gets set to challenge for a third overall victory, with Adam Yates set to play a key role.
Fresh off the back of his dominant Giro d’Italia victory, in which he took six individual stage victories, Pogačar appeared on the Watts Occuring podcast and ran Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe through the team that will back him at the French Grand Tour.
The UAE squad has been largely known for some time, but the Slovenian confirmed the full team on the podcast.
"From December it didn’t move, we have a full star team," Pogačar said. "Yates will be my right hand [man]. Then [Juan] Ayuso, [João] Almeida are super-climbing domestiques. [Rafal] Majka will stay at home, I think he’s quite sad about this. Then [Marc] Soler and [Pavel] Sivakov will be the bigger climbers that can still maybe do something on the flat. Then Nils Pollitt and Tim Wellens too."
"Blimey! That is a hit squad," Thomas said in response to hearing the list of riders both he and Ineos Grenadiers will go up against in France.
"It is, it is. And it scares me also," Pogačar jokingly added in response to Thomas’ assessment.
Pogačar took control of the Giro from the word go in May and rarely looked back. He explained that the different nature of this year’s Tour may mean that an aggressive start from UAE is unlikely to materialise.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Adam Yates famously pulled on the race’s first yellow jersey in Bilbao last year, but Pogačar said a different approach may be needed for the first few stages in Italy.
"The start is super hard," he said. "In Bilbao we were super aggressive and that backfired a bit. Ok, the shape was not super good, like crazy good last year, so I need to think about it a bit."
"I think the last three stages with how they designed this route, the last three days are brutal," he added as he looked ahead to the final week which will see the race conclude in Nice due to the Paris Olympics.
Meanwhile much of the talk in the build-up to the Tour so far has been based around whether or not two-time champion Jonas Vingegaard will be on the start line in Florence. Back in April, the Danish rider suffered brutal injuries including a broken collarbone, fractured ribs and punctured lung, in a high speed crash at Itzulia Basque Country.
Vingegaard has only recently returned to training as he looks to get fit for the Tour. His coach Tim Heemskerk recently told Cycling Weekly that he will only travel to Florence if 100% fit. His training has stepped up as he headed to an altitude camp in Tignes this month.
Pogačar and Thomas both said that they expect the Dane to be ready in time.
Pogačar said: "For me, yes [he will be at the start]. I think he was riding the bike quite soon after leaving the hospital so if he’s comfortable already riding on the bike back then he can be in good shape.
"The thing most people are saying is that it depends if he can reach race weight, but I don’t think it will be a problem."
"If he’s fine to push himself in training then I think he can still be really good," Thomas added.
The Tour de France gets underway in Florence, Italy on Saturday 29 June.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Tom has been writing for Cycling Weekly since 2022 and his news stories, rider interviews and features appear both online and in the magazine.
Since joining the team, he has reported from some of professional cycling's biggest races and events including the Tour de France and the World Championships in Glasgow. He has also covered major races elsewhere across the world. As well as on the ground reporting, Tom writes race reports from the men's and women's WorldTour and focuses on coverage of UK domestic cycling.
-
Tom Pidcock’s Q36.5 receive Giro d’Italia wildcard invite along with Tudor Pro Cycling
Team Polti Visit Malta and VF Group BardianiCSF - Faizane also receive invitations from RCS
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Be seen all year round with 35% off Magicshine bike lights in the Amazon Big Spring Sale
This is your last chance to seize a deal on some of the best bike lights with daylight running features. Act fast, as the sale ends at midnight tonight
By Matt Ischt-Barnard Published
-
Extra wildcard team approved for Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España
Number of teams to increase from 22 to 23 at men's Grand Tours
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Tadej Pogačar commemorates Strade Bianche crash with limited edition t-shirt - here's how you can buy it
Part of profits from new t-shirt will go to world champion's charity foundation
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Jonas Vingegaard out of Volta a Catalunya after Paris-Nice crash
Visma-Lease a Bike say two-time Tour de France winner needs more time to recover from wrist injury sustained in France last week
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'We've all got a little bit extra in us this year' - Ineos Grenadiers recapture 'fighting spirit' with aggressive Paris-Nice display
British team continue to put tumultuous 2024 behind them with momentum and a new found mentality
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Matteo Jorgenson aiming to 'set the bar higher' and target a Grand Tour after securing second Paris-Nice title
American explained that targeting a win in one of the sport's biggest three-week races was now the logical next step in his career
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Matteo Jorgenson rules out Tour de France leadership after Jonas Vingegaard's withdrawal from Paris-Nice
The American is on the cusp of a second consecutive victory at the Race to the Sun
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Could a TotalEnergies deal be the end of Ineos Grenadiers as we know them?
Reports suggested this week that Ineos could be close to signing a deal with the French petrochemical firm
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Why is Jonas Vingegaard wearing a special helmet at Paris-Nice?
The two-time Tour de France winner’s new helmet is part of a sponsorship deal that will see him wear the lid throughout the year
By Tom Thewlis Published