Marc Soler on Pogacar's Tour de France pursuit: "If Tadej wins his fifth, it will make it easier to compare him to other great cyclists"

Marc Soler has ridden every single Tour de France since 2018, and every season since joining UAE Team Emirates - XRG in 2022, he's been part of the Tour de France lineup supporting Tadej Pogacar. In 2026 he will do it again, and he has begun his season close to home in Spain eyeing the Grand Tours later on in the year.

“Winter has gone well. We have a good feeling, although the first races of the year are always difficult,” Soler shared in words to AS. The 32-year old has raced the Classics Camp de Morvedre and the Gran Prémio Castellón, where António Morgado was racing as team leader. Soler often has a free role, and will soon be racing the Mallorca classics and then the Volta a Comuntiat Valenciana most likely with the same freedom.

The winner of last year's stage to La Farrapona at the Vuelta a España will be taking on a calendar that mostly consists of racing in Spain, a suiting schedule for the rider who has had most of his career's biggest achievements in the country. Amongst these are four Vuelta victories in four different years, combined throughout his Movistar and UAE years.

Whilst his calendar had already been revealed, also including the Tour de Suisse alongside Tadej Pogacar, he has reaffirmed what his main goals this season will be. “A very similar calendar to last year, with the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, Volta a Catalunya, Itzulia Basque Country, and the Tour de France and Vuelta a España as my main objectives.”

In July he will race his ninth Tour de France, alongside Tadej Pogacar, Isaac del Toro, Tim Wellens, Adam Yates, Brandon McNulty; and two more riders who are strongly expected to be Pavel Sivakov and Nils Politt. Soler is a rider who has throughout his career stood out due to his aggressive racing style and ability to thrive in long solo attacks, but at the Tour, his role is clear.

He will be a domestique in UAE's attempt to make history with Tadej Pogacar, as he is close to matching the current record held by riders such as Miguel Indurain, Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx and Jacques Anquetil. “If Tadej wins his fifth, it will make it easier to compare him to other great cyclists," Soler argues.

Asked at the GP Castellón about the team's ambitions throughout the year, Soler made no business of overcomplicating it: “Reaching 100 victories isn't something we're thinking about". He himself contributed with three in 2025, as he also won a stage and the overall classification at the Vuelta Asturias, but there is no personal pressure on him to reach more in 2026.

However as of the 26th of January, the team has already net three wins, all through Jay Vine's achievements in Australia. "It's true that we've started well since the Tour Down Under with Vine, although Narváez's injury was a real shame. We hope he recovers soon because he's important for us".