"We are not afraid of Vingegaard" - UAE DS believes Tadej Pogacar will be ready to win Dauphiné and Tour de France

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."