"Nobody could ever beat Valverde either" - Former Movistar rider compares UAE and Tadej Pogacar to Alejandro Valverde

UAE Team Emirates - XRG are returning to the Tour de France this year with winning ambitions but Tadej Pogacar will have to face the high mountains and a brutal route in the second half. Amongst the summit finishes is the Col de la Loze where two years ago he lost the race to Jonas Vingegaard.

"It was a physically and mentally tough day. Certainly after the defeat in the time trial against Vingegaard the day before. I did everything I could to motivate him, but it didn't work anymore," teammate Marc Soler said in words to Wielerevue. "I said that he could also win with a one-second difference and that it wouldn't only depend on this day, but the Col de la Loze is so tough".

At the time the Slovenian completely cracked on the Alpine ascent and it was Soler that stayed with him until the finish line on what was a brutal finale that created massive differences. Ultimately, it dictated Pogacar's second place for a second years in a row. But the team is looking for revenge now.

"This year it's from the other side, but still, we're returning to the climb where it went wrong two years ago. We still joke about that day. Especially about the face he said I pulled while motivating him. It's an anecdote we still tell sometimes, but this year we want to show that we can win on the Col de la Loze. It's a great moment to take revenge," he argues.

Soler argues that in recent years Pogacar has improved quite a lot and shares details about their training together both in the winter and during altitude camps: "Nobody has ever been able to beat him at training camp since I started riding for the team. He's always been a little better than the rest all those years".

Soler compares Pogacar to a former teammate of his who also dominated in the 2010's. "To be honest, I feel a bit the same as when I was at Movistar. Nobody could ever beat Valverde either. The big difference is that Tadej is even better than Valverde and can be used in all races. Whether it's a race of one day, one week or three weeks... Whether it's in the mountains, on cobblestones or on the flat. He's the best in almost everything," he concluded.