Jack Haig: "If I get a top-five finish by the end of the Tour, I'd be quite happy"

The Tour de France will see Jack Haig return to it's roads on 2022, a year after he crashed out of the race and then went on to ride a breakthrough Vuelta a España for Bahrain - Victorious.

"I'm feeling really good coming into the Tour and maybe a little more relaxed this year than last year. Last year I went into the race with a lot of pressure on myself and to prove to my new team that I could perform," he said. Alongside Damiano Caruso he will be headlining the team's GC aspirations. Gino Mäder, who worked with Haig at the Vuelta last year and finished fifth aswell as winning the Youth classification was also set to join the climbers but Covid-19 has spoilt his preparation towards the race.

"This year I feel much more comfortable in the team alongside the group of riders we have going into the Tour, so I've not got much to be nervous about. As I said, we've got a strong line-up going into the race with really good flat support, which will be important for the first seven-eight days, which will be about minimising the risk of any bad luck," he added. With a co-leadership, Haig won't be able to enjoy total support, adding to the fact that riders like Dylan Teuns and Matej Mohoric are likely to have freedom throughout the race to chase their own individual goals aswell.

Haig finished third in the Vuelta a España last year, only behind Primoz Roglic and Enric Mas. Although the competition is more fierce here, the 28-year remains optimistic of his chances to fight for a similar position: "For my personal ambitions, I want to go well in the GC, and if I get a top-five finish by the end of the Tour, I'd be quite happy."

"For the team's ambitions, we will look for some stage results, with the strong guys who will have opportunities to look for some results themselves," he concluded. The Tour de France will start on July 1st in Copenhagen, and it will be Haig's third appearance in the race.