'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.
-
Tadej Pogačar is going to race fans up a mountain - here's how you can enter
World champion to take part in cycling challenge on his favourite climb in Slovenia
-
One last one hurrah: retiring Romain Bardet targets Grand Tour trilogy at Giro d'Italia
The Picnic PostNL rider will finish his road career at next month's Critérium du Dauphiné
-
Tour de France Champs-Élysées stage to include cobbled climb in Montmartre, copying Paris Olympic road race
Route change confirmed to mark 50th anniversary of first ever finish on the Champs-Élysées
-
Identical start, diverging destinies? The story of Adam and Simon Yates as they both race for pink at the Giro d'Italia
Adam and Simon Yates head to the Giro d’Italia on different teams and with different prospects. As their career paths diverge, does the brotherly bond endure?
-
Who could complete the Grand Tour hat-trick at the men’s Giro d’Italia?
Six male riders could become stage winners in all three Grand Tours this month
-
Tadej Pogačar was dominant at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, but I hope for a competitive Tour de France
The Slovenian has finished on the podium of the last six Monuments, the first man to do so - when will he stop dominating?
-
Tadej Pogačar wins third Liège–Bastogne–Liège after 34 kilometre solo breakaway
Slovenian puts in decisive attack on the Côte de la Redoute as Giulio Ciccone grabs second with Ben Healy in third
-
Jonas Vingegaard confirms race schedule ahead of Tour de France
Danish climber will only ride the Critérium du Dauphiné in June, but will take part in two altitude camps
-
Tadej Pogačar flies to dominant victory at La Flèche Wallonne
Slovenian takes second win at Belgian classic ahead of Kévin Vauquelin and Tom Pidcock
-
'The line was 5 metres too far' - Tadej Pogačar reacts to Amstel Gold Race second place
World champion reeled back and beaten in sprint by Lidl-Trek's Mattias Skjelmose