"We are not afraid of Vingegaard" - UAE DS believes Tadej Pogacar will be ready to win Dauphiné and Tour de France
Cycling
The Tour de France will see a fifth consecutive battle between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard for the yellow jersey but for the first time, we will have a real taste of it beforehand at the Criterium du Dauphiné. For the first time since 2020 the World Champion will participate in the French race, and is looking to win it ahead of his rival.
"It will be a real rehearsal for the Tour de France. It has the same organizer and a similar race. Tadej will certainly perform at the highest level there," team DS Andrej Hauptman said in an interview with RTV SLO. "We are used to him at the top of his game all season. We will see where we stand and then complete the altitude training."
After a successful spring that brought about more victories at the UAE Tour, Strade Bianche, Tour of Flanders, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège (alongside podiums at Milano-Sanremo, Paris-Roubaix and Amstel Gold Race) it can be a given that the Slovenian remains at the same or even higher level than 2024. This means that Vingegaard will need a higher level to be able to take the wins, but it must be said that in the stage-races, the gaps between them are not so big.
After Visma took the win at the Giro d'Italia from UAE on the final competitive day, it certainly gave the Dutch team a boost, and confirmation that they have nailed Yates' preparation to perfection - a sign of what may be to come for Jonas Vingegaard. In the UAE camp, there certainly is pressure.
"We are not afraid of Vingegaard; we are not afraid of anyone. We are sticking to our plan, which we believe is right. However, we know that Vingegaard and Evenepoel will perform at the highest level in the Tour, and so will we. There are many climbs that Tadej has not yet won, including the Col de la Loze. That will certainly motivate him even more," Hauptman assures.
This will be a very long run-in to the Tour, as the two will face off directly for eight days including some very difficult mountain stages, before even beginning the Tour itself. "The competition is most intense in the Tour and the pressure is enormous. Extreme heat is expected in July. The first week of the race in northern France can be very hectic, as it is every year, and we will have to be very careful. Having a strong team to survive all those stages."
Read also
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 2visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I see (elsewhere) that Alaphilippe had more to say than what got relayed in this stub. Me: he was very good early but his latter third trajectory was the pits. His old boss did what he could (huffed and puffed) but Julian couldn't get his greatness back. Sometimes I wonder if crashes that didn't look like much changed the course of the rider.flyer14-11-2026
- I wouldn't classify it as a gift because the nasty consequences of taking it from Sepp would have been great and would persist and he knew it.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. Tratnik's good and Red Bull's better so Tratnik may get what he wants.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. So just saying he wasn't enjoying racing anymore is some kind of explanation? Me saying I don't enjoy his explanation is more explaining than he did.flyer14-11-2026
- Buitrago, was he their best rider in 2026? He's the chief loss for them and Martinez and Tiberi (especially) have to step up or they will be overtaken by Bahrain's younger riders like Omrzel. I'm still somewhat high on Martinez but Tiberi, after showing signs of promise, has fizzled. Bahrain still has a good team but they need to improve and exceed expectations. I'd be happy if Mohoric could manage to return to his better form for maybe one last year at least.flyer14-11-2026
- Hmmm, "... I just gained 30 seconds purely off the bike. Because it's really a big, big improvement compared to the previous bike". Is that marketing for Specialized or serious valid hype, or something in between? Very likely the former.flyer14-11-2026
- Nothing revelatory or controversial. Why do we have to report on Bruyneel's or Armstrong's thinking. It's a shame and enough that the Move's on TV and that people watch it .flyer14-11-2026
- Makes sense that training from home is a big asset or advantage but it's still remarkable that he can put in three quality majors and not pay some heavy price for the exertion. I wish he would have won that tour stage that his crash while leading allowed Carapaz the win. He's a darn good rider and teammate.flyer14-11-2026
- Sounds like we all agree with the over under exaggeration: "The German’s signing does not guarantee that Evenepoel will win the Tour in 2027. "flyer14-11-2026
- Seixas appears to be that good but if he isn't (an absolute rival to Pogacar) he would have plenty of company in rising stars that did not go on to fully meet the expectations of many. That Pogacar wasn't the greatest (as great) sooner can't be transposed onto another's development. It may be not that simple.flyer14-11-2026
Loading
1 Comments