ANALYSIS | Do UAE or Visma have a stronger squad at the Criterium du Dauphine?

We're now 2 days away from the beginning of the Criterium du Dauphine. There's many stars at this year's race, including Remco Evenepoel and Mathieu van der Poel, but the two main rivals of the past 5 editions of the Tour de France will be the stars of the show.

Of course, we're talking about Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. So, let's take a look at how their teams are shaping up for the next week of racing in France.

In 2023, Pogacar was outnumbered by Vingegaard and Visma's super team. In 2024, it was rolls reversed and it was Pogacar with the super team. But how is each team looking for the perfect Tour de France warm up at the Dauphine?

Tadej Pogacar

Marc Soler

Pavel Sivakov

Nils Politt

Jhonatan Narvaez

Tim Wellens

Domen Novak  

Tadej Pogacar returns to the Dauphiné five years later and this is a race he hasn't won yet, so he'll want to fix that blemish on his record.

In 2025, he has only competed in one stage race, the UAE Tour, which he won with ease, and he is the big favorite here. Pogacar won 2 monuments, and Strade Bianche, this spring, and is searching for his fourth yellow jersey this July.

The Dauphine has a difficult final weekend, ideal to prepare him for the fearsome final week of the Tour, where he'll have several stages over 4000m worth of climbing.

Without João Almeida, Sivakov will have to take over as Pogacar's main partner in the high mountains, but faced with a Visma with Jorgenson and Kuss, the Frenchman will have to start showing his best form here. He started the season well with a victory in the Tour of Andalusia, but we have not heard much from him since.

Marc Soler has led alone or been co-leader in several races so far this year. He has achieved good results, winning the Tour of Asturias and making the top 10 in Andalusia, in the other races he has supported the leaders excellently. For example, he helped Almeida win the Itzulia Basque Country and Ayuso take 2nd in Catalonia, and Soler is always very reliable for the Slovenian.

Narváez, Wellens and Novak will be in charge of the mid-mountain work. In the first stages, which are constantly up and down and have tough finishes, they will need to ensure the world champion is near the front. Nils Politt will work as a pace-setter on the flat terrain, and you can be sure Pogacar will have him set a brutal pace.

Jonas Vingegaard

Matteo Jorgenson

Sepp Kuss

Atilla Valter

Victor Campenaerts

Ben Tulett

Per Strand Hagenes

Remember, this is Jonas Vingegaard's long, awaited return to competition, after three months out of action (he abandoned Paris-Nice in March and hasn't competed since). For the return of their great champion, Team Visma | Lease a Bike has organised a very strong squad, which should be close to the one that will be at the Tour de France. There, they will add cycling's latest one-two punch combination, the stars of the Giro: Simon Yates and Wout Van Aert.

It's the first big clash of the year between Pogacar and Vingegaard and the big unknown is the Danish rider's form. In 2025 so far, he won the Volta ao Algarve with a great time trial performance and in Paris-Nice he abandoned when he was second overall. For those who saw the races, the indications weren't great, but he usually peaks in the summer.

Jorgenson can and should be seen as a plan B, he was 2nd last year, losing by a few seconds to Primoz Roglic, and this year he repeated his victory at Paris-Nice. I wouldn't rule the American out of the fight for the podium and this duo together could be a headache for Pogacar.

Kuss returns to the role he likes best, that of luxury domestique, but after a difficult 2024, things haven't gone any better this year. 38th in the Tour of the Algarve, 23rd in the Tour of Catalonia and abandonment in the Tour of the Basque Country, so clearly he is not yet at his best.

Visma certainly needs the 2023 Kuss if they are to challenge Pogacar and UAE. But can the American re-discover his Vuelta winning legs?

Valter and Tullett are the other two teammates for the mountains. Curiously, neither of them has been alongside the Dane in the Tour, but that could change this year. In individual terms, Valter has had a very quiet season, while Tullett has won Coppi and Bartali, finished in the top 20 in the Ardennes, and is having the best season of his career. Campenaerts and Strand Hagenes will do the work on the medium mountains and flat terrain

For me, Visma has the strongest squad in the Dauphine.