"The legs are there, and the motivation is high" - Tadej Pogacar excited for return to racing as UAE confirm Dauphine support squad
Cycling
After a short break following what was a stunning Spring Classics season in 2025, Tadej Pogacar returns to racing this weekend, looking to build form for the Tour de France and send an early message to his Maillot Jaune rivals at the Criterium du Dauphine.
“We’ve just come off a really solid block of altitude training with the team and I’m feeling good," previews the Slovenian world champion in a pre-race press release posted to the official website of the UAE Team Emirates - XRG team. "The legs are there, and the motivation is high."
Only once in his illustrious career has Pogacar used the Dauphine as a building block for the Tour de France. Back in 2020, the UAE leader finished 4th overall as Daniel Martinez took the win. Famously though, that didn't hinder his Tour de France ambitions as the Slovenian secured his first Grand Tour win later that summer in one of the most iconic moments of modern cycling, dramatically overturning his deficit to compatriot Primoz Roglic in the final time trial.
"It’s been a few years since I’ve been to the Dauphiné and we’re excited to be there and racing again after many weeks of training all together," Pogacar continues his pre-race preview. "We have a very good ambience in the group, and we’re ready to pin on race numbers and show what we can do.”
Joining Pogacar as part of the UAE Team Emirates - XRG lineup in France are a strong support squad of Jhonatan Narváez, Domen Novak, Nils Politt, Pavel Sivakov, Marc Soler and Tim Wellens, offering Pogacar plenty of accomplished help in his quest to add another victory to his palmares.
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UAE Team Emirates - XRG for the 2025 Criterium du Dauphine
Tadej Pogacar
Marc Soler
Pavel Sivakov
Nils Politt
Jhonatan Narvaez
Tim Wellens
Domen Novak
Marc Soler
Pavel Sivakov
Nils Politt
Jhonatan Narvaez
Tim Wellens
Domen Novak
Prepared and focused for a week in the Alps 🇫🇷.
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) June 6, 2025
Meet our team for #Dauphiné:
🇪🇨 @NarvaezJho
🇸🇮 @DomenNovak
🇸🇮 @TamauPogi
🇩🇪 @PolittNils
🇫🇷 @PavelSivakov
🇪🇸 @solermarc93
🇧🇪 @Tim_Wellens #WeAreUAE pic.twitter.com/esnGqi5zo6
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
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