Team behind Tadej: The seven UAE Team Emirates riders supporting Pogacar at Tour de France

When the Tour de France gets underway in Florence on Saturday, the eyes of the cycling world will be on UAE Team Emirates star Tadej Pogacar and his chief rival, the two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard of Team Visma Lease A Bike. Pogacar and Vingegaard, who jostled fiercely over the yellow jersey the past two years, are once again the leading contenders for the general classification title. Pogacar, the champion in 2020 and 2021, saw his title defence fade in 2022 after seeing several of his teammates drop out of the race, while his bid last year was hampered when a broken wrist in the April limited his preparation. This year, it's Vingegaard who's in a fitness race after the Dane suffered multiple fractures in a fall in March. Given Vingegaard's situation and Pogacar's status as the world's best road cyclist – cemented after another formidable season so far – the Slovenian is the firm favourite to win the GC title. However, the Tour de France is the most challenging race of the year, and no cyclist can win it alone, even an all-time great like Pogacar. The team around Pogacar will be vital to his hopes of winning his third Tour title, and UAE Team Emirates have assembled a strong line-up to give the Slovenian the best chance possible. Ahead of Saturday's Grand Depart, here are the seven riders ready to give their all to support Pogacar over the next three weeks. The experienced Briton comes into the Tour as Pogacar’s right-hand man in the mountains off the back of an excellent start to 2024. He kickstarted his year with a dominant victory at the Tour of Oman, taking the general classification after storming victory on Stage 5. Yates, who is in his second season with UAE Team Emirates, then produced one of the most dominant performances of the season at the Tour de Suisse . Alongside Portuguese teammate Joao Almeida, the pair crushed the rest of the field in producing a 1-2 finish on four successive stages. His performances this season, coupled with his impressive podium finish at the Tour de France last year, make him a strong and reliable ally to Pogacar as well as putting himself in the frame for a successive podium finish when the Tour concludes in Nice on July 21. Almeida heads into his first Tour de France in imperious form. Alongside Yates, Almeida laid down a marker to the rest of the field after a blistering performance at the Tour de Suisse. Securing two stage victories to go with two podium finishes, Almeida looks as strong as ever in the UAE Team Emirates jersey. The former Portugal national champion is no stranger to Grand Tour racing, having secured his first stage victory at Giro D’Italia in 2023. Almeida’s role will be similar to that of Yates, upping the tempo and pace on the toughest climbs to act as a launchpad for Pogacar’s famous attacks. Almeida could even be among the podium contenders as the race enters the final week. Like Almeida, the talented Spaniard will be taking to the start line at this year's Tour de France for the first time in his young career. Ayuso has had a solid 2024 season, missing out on an impressive victory at Tirreno Adriatico to Tour de France champion Vingegaard. He followed that up with a dominant victory at the Iztulia Basque Country, setting himself up nicely for the biggest race on the cycling calendar. As a strong time-trialist as well as super domestique, Ayuso has a strong chance at securing a stage victory at the Tour. Alongside his teammates, Ayuso has been at altitude camp for several weeks getting acclimatized and forming the strategies that will give UAE Team Emirates the best chance of ending the Tour top of the podium. The German powerhouse, in his debut season with UAE Team Emirates , will have his work cut out at the Tour. Alongside Tim Wellens, the pair will be responsible for emptying their tanks in managing and controlling the peloton for UAE Team Emirates, nullifying any attacks or breakaways to ensure Pogacar and his weapons are in a position to strike. Politt is no stranger to the Tour, having competed at the race seven times and securing a stage victory along the way. He heads into this year’s race having recently been crowned German time-trial champion. Wellens, like several of his UAE Team Emirates teammates, recently secured national time-trial victory to back up a strong start to the 2024 season. In his second season with UAE Team Emirates, the Belgian has already proven himself as one of Pogacar’s favoured workhorses and has been alongside the Slovenian for may of his biggest wins, namely Strade Bianche this season. Wellens will be sharing the load with Nils Pollitt in managing the peloton and breakaway, ensuring the team are able to dictate the race to best utilize the star-studded weapons at their disposal. Pavel Sivakov is an experienced Grand Tour racer, with eight Grand Tours to his name in his career. Having joined the team from Ineos Grenadiers at the start of this season, Sivakov heads into this year’s Tour with the role of supporting the two workhorses in managing the peloton and breakaways, while also proving an invaluable asset to Pogacar and Co on the longer and more gradual climbs to set the foundation for the team. A powerful rider, Sivakov will also come into his own on the flatter stages to ensure that the team are constantly posing a question and a threat to their competitors across the 21-stage race. Spaniard Marc Soler rolls into the Tour de France as an experienced statesman who has seen most things Grand Tour racing has to offer. In what will be the 13th Grand Tour of his career, Soler will be a cool and calm head in the peloton for the team, working alongside Sivakov on the flat as well as putting in the initial work on the longer and more challenging climbs. Soler is coming into the race following a battling performance at the Criterium du Dauphine, again showcasing his form and reliability to the team. Pogacar will be relying on Soler to manage the group and ensure the race never gets away from the team.

Team behind Tadej: The seven UAE Team Emirates riders supporting Pogacar at Tour de France

Slovenian two-time Tour champion will receive plenty of help from a strong line-up