Jumbo-Visma "can make things difficult" for Pogacar at the Tour de France - Alberto Contador

With the dominance displayed early in the season, it is fair to assume that if everything goes to plan there will be a battle at the Tour de France between Tadej Pogacar and Jumbo-Visma for the overall classification. Former race winner Alberto Contador has came out to say the Dutch team can really put the Slovenian under pressure.

In an interview with Spanish media outlet AS, Alberto Contador has said: “It’s obvious with what he’s showing this season he’s the No. 1 favorite. There are other teams, and Jumbo-Visma looks scary and in the right moment they can make things difficult for him with the many cards they have to play.”  

“We think about Roglič, but the one who was second in the Tour was Vingegaard, and he showed at Tirreno-Adriatico he’s in good form. If they’re both there in the Tour together it can be more complicated for him. It’s a very strong block, and because of that Pogačar cannot be quiet," he added.

Pogacar has so far had a spotless start to the season with numerous wins at the UAE Tour, Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico, and has his eyes on tomorrow's Milano-Sanremo. He's targeting a third Tour de France title this summer but will be challenged by Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard who have also started off their season strong, taking several wins in France combined, and with the Dane coming second to Pogacar at Tirreno-Adriatico. Although a distant second, the main goal will be later in the season and throughout 21 days of racing a lot can happen.

Contador also talked about Egan Bernal, with whom he's been in contact recently: “I am confident he can return to be the same as he was before. His motivation and confidence in himself is brutal. You can see he is controlling his weight, and that’s one of the hardest things." Bernal is currently undergoing a miraculous rehabilitation process and has recently gotten back on the home trainer, his coach Xabier Artexte said Bernal's return to the peloton "can also be at the end of this year".

“What he’s doing shows the difference between the big champions. When they are confronted with an adversity like this one, they put the same energy into recovering from the injuries as they do in winning the Tour de France. I confide that Egan will return to his maximum level," he concluded.