UAE Team Emirates rider Marc Soler: Winning stage at Vuelta was incredibly special moment

UAE Team Emirates rider Marc Soler on his way to victory in Stage 16 stage of Vuelta a Espana on September 3, 2024. EPA

This year’s Tour de France was truly something special. From start to finish, the team’s performance was something we can all be proud of. When I first joined UAE Team Emirates, I wanted to challenge myself in the biggest races, and being in a position to help Tadej Pogacar in the world’s most famous bike race was a fantastic experience.

A Grand Tour is full of emotions – it starts with excitement and adrenalin, but as the race progresses, you feel the fatigue and pressure, with no room for error. The Tour requires 100 per cent focus every day.

But in the end, all the hard work and countless hours in the saddle were worth it when we crossed the finish line in Nice. You could see by our celebrations how much it meant to the team to win both the Yellow Jersey and the Team Classification.

For me, this Tour felt like my best one yet. Working alongside Nils [Politt] and Tim [Wellens] to control the breakaways was really important to both our GC and stage-winning ambitions. A perfect example of this was Stage 4.

Each of us executed our roles perfectly, and Tadej finished it off in style to take victory and the Yellow Jersey. Days like that remind you how important every role in the team is, but also why we fell in love with the sport.

Seeing young talents such as Joao [Almeida] and Juan [Ayuso] come through the ranks and make their mark at the World Tour level is super exciting. Heading into the Tour, they didn’t need much advice – Grand Tour racing is all about soaking in the experience and learning as you go.

The best advice I could offer was to take it day by day; if you have a bad day, you move on and focus on the next stage. Juan was unlucky with illness, and Joao had an amazing race, finishing fourth and helping Tadej a lot.

Grand Tours are where I feel I perform best, so I was anticipating to race two this season. After celebrating our Tour de France victory with the team and taking some rest, I quickly switched focus to La Vuelta. We entered the Vuelta with two leaders, but my role shifted when Adam [Yates] crashed and lost time and Joao had to withdraw after Stage 8.

Our focus shifted from a GC victory to hunting stage wins, which meant spending a lot of time in the breakaway. I came close a few times but had to channel my disappointment and frustration into motivation. Then on Stage 16, it all came together and I took a beautiful victory.

It was an incredibly special moment for me, I was on the limit for the whole of the last climb, but with the support from the home crowd I managed to keep my rhythm and take the stage win. I dedicated the win to my wife and kids, so it meant the world to me.

The team’s hard work paid off as we left the Vuelta with three stage wins, the team classification, and the mountain jersey. It was a testament to how we fought through the entire race. It’s always special to end the Grand Tour season on a high, and in the end, it was a great race for the team.

As I look back on 2024, I’m proud of what we achieved as a team, and I’m already excited about what lies ahead in 2025. A huge thank you to all our fans from the UAE and around the world – your support means everything to us, and I look forward to seeing you all cheering us on next season.