Pogačar's quest for a fourth Tour de France title backed by strong UAE Team Emirates squad

PARIS (AP) — Tadej Pogačar will be supported by an impressive squad in his quest for a fourth Tour de France title. The UAE Team Emirates leader will be surrounded by excellent all-rounders and climbers with the experience required to answer the demands of the most grueling of three-week races. The 26-year-old Pogačar is once again the main favorite after yet another dominant season that recently saw him win the Critérium du Dauphiné, the traditional curtain riser before the Tour that generally indicates the form of the moment. The Tour de France starts on July 5 from the northern city of Lille. Pogačar's team said on Friday that he will be supported by five teammates from the Critérium du Dauphiné — Jhonatan Narváez, Nils Politt, Pavel Sivakov, Marc Soler and Tim Wellens — with João Almeida and Adam Yates rounding out the squad. Pogačar is an extremely versatile rider capable of winning on all terrains. This year, the reigning world champion from Slovenia also won the Tour of Flanders, Strade Bianche, Liège–Bastogne–Liège and the Flèche Wallonne. His appetite for victory has drawn comparisons with the greatest cyclist of all time, Eddy Merckx. "I'm excited for the Tour to start. I'm lucky to have had close to the perfect preparation this year — everything has gone really smoothly, especially coming off a great altitude camp with my teammates," Pogačar said. "The vibes in the team are amazing right now, and that gives me a lot of confidence." If Pogačar wins the Tour, he will draw level with Chris Froome for the fifth most Tour wins of all time. Four riders — Jacques Anquetil, Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain — have won cycling's biggest race five times. Pogačar's main rival through July is expected to be Jonas Vingegaard, a two-time Tour champion who will lead the Visma-Lease a Bike team. "Of course, you can never be fully prepared for something like the Tour de France — it's unpredictable, and that's part of what makes it so special," Pogačar said. "I'm expecting a very high level from all the other top riders." The race features six mountain stages with five mountain finishes, and two time trials. "The first few days should be really exciting for the fans with some open, aggressive stages, and the last week is very climbing-heavy with some iconic stages," Pogačar said. "It's going to be a big fight all the way to Paris, but I'm ready to give everything."