UAE eyes Liège showdown between Seixas, Evenepoel and Pogacar - 'Racing against the best is what we want'

The run of setbacks began as early as the Tour Down Under, where a series of crashes disrupted the team’s early season momentum. Jhonatan Narváez suffered multiple vertebra fractures, Vegard Stake Laengen was sidelined for an extended period, while Mikkel Bjerg and Jay Vine were also caught up in the widely noted “Kangaroo incident”.

The problems continued into the Classics. Tim Wellens broke his collarbone at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, bringing an early end to his spring, while Jan Christen crashed out of Milan–Sanremo. Elsewhere, illness disrupted João Almeida in the build up to the Giro d'Italia, and Brandon McNulty also spent time on the sidelines.

The accumulation of injuries and illness forced UAE to adjust its programme, including withdrawing from the Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali.

Team manager Andrej Hauptman admitted to Wielerflits the situation has been far from ideal. At one stage, nearly half of the squad was unavailable. “We haven’t experienced it this bad very often,” he said. “It’s not easy, but the only thing you can do is stay focused and keep moving forward.”

Even so, the team has managed to stay competitive. Benoît Cosnefroy delivered back to back podium finishes in both Brabantse Pijl and Amstel Gold Race, results that exceeded internal expectations given the circumstances. “Other riders are stepping up,” Hauptman noted. “We still have a group capable of competing at the highest level.”

Attention now turns to Tadej Pogačar, who is set to return to racing at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The world champion has taken a selective approach to his spring campaign, focusing primarily on the sport’s biggest races, and arrives after a demanding but successful run that included victories at Strade Bianche, Milan–San Remo and Tour of Flanders.

Only at Paris-Roubaix did he miss out on victory, finishing second after losing the sprint to Wout van Aert at the Vélodrome André Pétrieux.

There are questions about how deep he has had to go already this season, particularly after his effort at Paris–Roubaix. But within the team, confidence remains high. An extended training block in the lead up to Liège is seen as a positive, giving Pogačar time to reset ahead of one of his key targets.

“Liège is a very different race,” Hauptman explained. “We believe he’ll be ready. He has shown before that he can recover quickly and still perform at a high level.”

The challenge, however, may be tougher than in previous years. Remco Evenepoel returns in top form, while rising French talent Paul Seixas adds another unpredictable element to the race.

For UAE, the circumstances are far from perfect. But with Pogačar leading the line, the outlook can change quickly. As Hauptman put it: “Racing against the best is what we want. These are champions and we look forward to it.”