“We will do everything so cycling continues to be monotonous” - UAE fire back at Tadej Pogacar dominance debate before Tour de France showdown

Tadej Pogacar’s dominance has become so complete that even the question of whether cycling is becoming predictable now follows him towards the Tour de France.

The Slovenian has won the last two editions of the race with authority, added another extraordinary spring campaign in 2026, and will again line up in July as the rider everyone else must find a way to beat. UAE Team Emirates - XRG are not pretending otherwise. They are also not apologising for it.

Asked by RTV SLO about Pogacar’s popularity, racing style and the suggestion that his control may have made the sport more predictable, UAE sports director Andrej Hauptman answered with a smile rather than a denial. “Of course we will do everything so that perhaps cycling continues to be monotonous,” he joked.

Pogacar’s racing has rarely felt cautious. His victories have often come through aggression rather than management, yet his superiority has still created a familiar debate around the Tour. If the same rider keeps winning, does the spectacle suffer, or is the sport simply watching a generational force in full flight?

Hauptman leaned firmly towards the second view. “In reality, not only Slovenians, but all cycling fans around the world can be very happy that we are watching these exceptional riders of a new era, such as Tadej Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel, Mathieu van der Poel...”

Pogacar’s position before the 2026 Tour is clear. He is the defending champion, the strongest all-round rider in the sport and the centre of the race before it has even begun. The route, though, gives the contenders several chances to disrupt the expected order.

The race starts in Barcelona with a team time trial, includes an individual time trial from Evian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains, and finishes its decisive mountain sequence with back-to-back days ending on Alpe d’Huez.

Hauptman highlighted those final Alpine stages as a major factor, especially because of where they fall in the race. “Those two stages will definitely be very important, especially because they come at the end of the race and the riders will therefore already be pretty much at the limit of their strength,” he said.

A rider who looks secure after two weeks may still have to survive the hardest part of the Tour with fatigue already built into the legs. “Everyone will have to pay attention on the previous stages too and keep those two extremely demanding stages in mind,” Hauptman added.

Pogacar may be the favourite, but the race is not built to reward anyone who starts thinking only about the final weekend. “I am a supporter of the idea that every single stage can show who will not win the yellow jersey,” Hauptman said, “and that until the final finish in Paris it will not be possible to say who the overall winner will be.”

The Pogacar dominance debate is also complicated by the generation forming around him. Jonas Vingegaard remains the obvious Tour rival after adding the Giro d’Italia to his Grand Tour palmares, while Evenepoel continues to bring a different threat through his time trialling and one-day engine.

There is also Paul Seixas, whose rise has moved much faster than normal caution would allow. At 19, the Frenchman is set to make his first Grand Tour appearance, but his 2026 results have already pushed him beyond ordinary debutant framing.

Hauptman did not dismiss the idea that Seixas could influence the race. “For him, it will be his first three-week race, and he will be the same age as Tadej Pogacar was in 2019 when he went to his first three-week race in Spain,” he said. “Seixas showed last year and this year what he is made of. We will have to take him very seriously.”

Pogacar himself arrived at Grand Tour level young, fearless and ready to accelerate his own timeline. Seixas now brings another unknown into a Tour picture already shaped by Vingegaard, Evenepoel and the wider GC field.

Hauptman widened the list further, pointing to Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe as another major source of pressure. “And not only him and Vingegaard,” he said. “Bora also have two riders who could be high in the general classification, and there are also several teams with exceptional leaders.”

The Tour hierarchy may still begin with Pogacar and Vingegaard, but the group behind them is far more crowded than it was when Evenepoel finished third in 2024. Seixas, Florian Lipowitz, Evenepoel and others give the race more layers, even if Pogacar remains the man they are all chasing.

UAE’s own preparation reflects the same balance between dominance and detail. Pogacar’s level has been obvious all season, but the team are still searching for every available gain before July.

Asked whether UAE were preparing further technical updates after using new MET helmets at the Giro d’Italia and Pogacar testing a Colnago time trial bike at Romandie, Hauptman offered only a partial answer. “Let some things remain a secret,” he said.

UCI approval is still required for major innovations, but the pursuit of small gains remains constant. “We are all trying to gain a second here or there,” Hauptman said. “Every year the competition is tougher and the differences are smaller.”

UAE can joke about continuing Pogacar’s dominance, but their own preparation suggests nothing is being treated as automatic. Barcelona, the time trials, the Alps, Vingegaard, Seixas, Bora and the volatility of three weeks all still sit between Pogacar and another yellow jersey.

Pogacar’s rivals may hope the 2026 Tour becomes the race where cycling stops looking so familiar. UAE intend to make the same story happen again.