UAE unveil powerhouse Tour de France squad for Tadej Pogacar’s historic fifth title bid

Tadej Pogačar will return to the Tour de France with the chance to join one of the most exclusive groups in cycling history.

The Slovenian will lead UAE Team Emirates-XRG at the 113th edition of the race as he targets a fifth yellow jersey and a third consecutive overall victory. Another triumph would put him level with Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Induráin, the only riders officially credited with five Tour de France titles.

UAE has selected an experienced and versatile team for the three week race. Pogačar will be joined by Isaac del Toro, Felix Großschartner, Brandon McNulty, Nils Politt, Florian Vermeersch, Tim Wellens and Adam Yates.

Yates, Wellens and Politt were also part of the squad that helped Pogačar secure last year’s title in dominant fashion.

The final selection was far from straightforward. UAE Team Emirates-XRG waited until the last possible moment as injuries disrupted its preparations and left several riders racing to prove their fitness. 

Adam Yates was among those affected after a difficult Giro d’Italia, where crashes and injuries also derailed the plans of Marc Soler and Jay Vine. Yates has since recovered sufficiently to take his place on the start line.

The resulting lineup gives Pogačar support across every type of terrain. Politt, Wellens and Vermeersch will provide power on flat and rolling stages, while Yates, McNulty, Großschartner and Del Toro give UAE several high quality options once the race reaches the mountains.

Pogačar arrives at the Tour following victories at the Tour de Romandie and the Tour de Suisse. Those results underline his strong form, but he knows that success in July will depend on far more than preparation alone.

“The Tour de France is always the biggest challenge of the season and also the race that motivates us the most,” Pogačar said in a statement by the team. “Every year, you arrive at the start knowing that anything can happen over three weeks, and that is what makes it so special.”

The opening stages in Barcelona will mark the beginning of another demanding campaign for the world champion, who believes UAE is ready for the challenges ahead.

“We have prepared really well as a team. Everyone has worked incredibly hard and now we are excited to finally get started,” he said.

“I feel good and I know I will have a fantastic group of teammates and staff around me. We have a lot of confidence in each other and have built up a lot of experience together over the years.”

That experience could prove decisive. Politt and Yates are both set to make their tenth Tour de France appearances, while Wellens, McNulty and Großschartner have already played important roles in Pogačar’s previous Grand Tour victories.

Vermeersch earns his place after an impressive Classics campaign and will add further power to the team on the most demanding transition stages.

One of the most closely watched riders in the squad will be Del Toro. The Mexican will make his Tour de France debut after a remarkable run of stage race results.

Del Toro recently won the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, formerly known as the Critérium du Dauphiné, after taking two stages and the overall classification. He had already claimed general classification victories at the UAE Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico, while his second place at the 2025 Giro d’Italia confirmed his ability to compete over three weeks.

His presence gives UAE another elite climbing option and could allow the team to race more aggressively in the mountains.

Pogačar, meanwhile, has established an extraordinary record at the Tour since winning the race on his debut in 2020. He has never finished outside the top two and has collected four overall victories and 21 stage wins.

His rivalry with Jonas Vingegaard has defined the Tour in recent seasons. The pair have occupied the top two positions on the final podium in each of the past five editions, creating one of the most consistent contests between two riders in the race’s history.

Pogačar added four more stage victories to his total last year, but another yellow jersey would carry greater historical significance. At 27, he now has the opportunity to equal a record that has stood as one of professional cycling’s defining benchmarks.

“There will be strong rivals, difficult stages and many unpredictable moments, but we are ready to give everything,” Pogačar said.

“It is a privilege to wear these colours at the Tour de France, and we will do our best to make ourselves, the team and the fans proud.”