"Why do you even need Soler?" - Thijs Zonneveld would much rather see Florian Vermeersch in UAE's Tour de France selection

UAE Team Emirates - XRG have once again fielded a monster team for Tour de France - just like their main challengers Visma | Lease a Bike. But the selection around Tadej Pogacar still seems to leave something left to be desired, especially with the chaotic first week up ahead.

"I might not be objective because I raced with him at the Tour de Suisse and got my ass handed to me," said Sam Oomen in the Live Slow Ride Fast podcast. He refers to none other than the overall winner Joao Almeida. "I think he’s made another step forward and is better than last year. Also, if you look at his results in the races he’s done this year, he’s been very successful."

Winner of three big stage races in a row, Almeida may be there for Pogacar, but could cause some chaos in the GC on his own. "Imagine you get a race situation where only a small group remains, and Almeida hasn’t had to work yet. If he still has something left and hasn’t had to ride because Visma has made the race hard, he’s not just going to drop off voluntarily. I’m really curious."

Oomen then illustrates the incredible level of Portuguese rider with a previously untold story. "I don’t know exactly how good he is, but he took the KOM (fastest time on Strava, ed.) on the Monachil, in the heat. That’s a really relevant climb. It’s permanently warm there and you’re sweating. It’s a climb that doesn’t flow: steep, flat, steep, flat…"

The Portuguese rider subsequently removed the evidence to keep his cards hidden, but it did not escape the Dutchman's attention. "He uploaded that ride to Strava for about an hour and then deleted it. Florian Vermeersch did a lead-out there. And Joao just flew past. If you take a KOM there, you’re really a serious player."

Speaking of Vermeersch, Thijs Zonneveld also mentioned him in his podcast In de Waaier. "What a fantastic team for the whole Tour. But a lot will fall on the shoulders of Nils Politt and Tim Wellens. Who do I miss? Florian Vermeersch! I wouldn’t take Marc Soler," is his assessment.

Vermeersch might've been the decisive factor in preventing a potential disaster, Zonneveld thinks: "They need an extra person to position Pogacar in the first eleven days. They’re taking this risk again. They’ve gotten away with it often in recent years. But they systematically and structurally take a big risk, which wasn’t necessary."

On contrary, the role of Soler doesn't seem quite clear to the Dutch journalist: "They already have Sivakov, Almeida, Wellens, Yates. They already have guys who are good in the mountains. Even Politt has done climbs where only thirty riders were left. Why do you even need Soler?"