Tadej Pogacar to test his form at Tour of Slovenia, ahead of Tour title defense

Tadej Pogacar will be the main star at the upcoming Tour of Slovenia, where he will not only be a fan favourite but also the main contender for the final win. He will lead UAE Team Emirates, in what is his one and only preparation race for the Tour de France.

"It's been a while since I last pinned a bib number, so I'm eager and excited to get back into it," Pogacar said in a pre-race conference. "We trained at altitude in Livigno and the atmosphere in the team is great. I feel pretty good in training, but it's always hard to know exactly how you're doing until you're in the race."

Pogacar has opted for a different approach to that of other Tour contenders, once again letting go the traditional Critérium du Dauphiné and Tour de Suisse to race in his home country, and having only five days of racing before the Grand Depart. Alongside him will be several of the riders who will be together with him at the Tour such as Mikkel Bjerg, Rafal Majka and Jan Polanc, aswell as Pascal Ackermann who will be aiming at the race's sprints.

“Of course I know the roads and the climbs quite well and I look forward to seeing friends and family. The course is tough and there are strong opponents but hopefully we can get some good results and enjoy a great week," he concluded.

UAE Team Emirates for Tour of Slovenia: Tadej Pogacar, Pascal Ackermann, Mikkel Bjerg, Vegard Stake Laengen, Rui Oliveira, Rafal Majka and Jan Polanc.