Tour de France: Tadej Pogacar ready for title defence 'challenge' as UAE Team Emirates name line-up

Slovenian given team designed to support his bid for a second Grand Tour victory

UAE Team Emirates rider Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia, is seen wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, and Deceuninck-Quick Step rider Sam Bennett of Ireland, wearing the green jersey, before the official start. REUTERS

Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar (L) of UAE-Team Emirates wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey and Irish rider Sam Bennett (R) of Deceuninck Quick-Step team wearing the best sprinter green jersey greet each other before the start of the 21th stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 122 km from Mantes la Jolie to Paris, France. EPA

Slovenia's Primoz Roglic, left, who lost his overall leader's yellow jersey to Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, right, gets a hug during the twenty-first and last stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 122 kilometers (75.8 miles), from Mantes-La-Jolie to Paris, France. AP Photo

Italy's Elia Viviani wears a face mask reading "No To Racism" as he arrives for the start of the twenty-first and last stage of the Tour de France cycling race. AP Photo

Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar of the UAE Team Emirates, bearer of the Yellow T-shirt waves from the podium before the start of the 21st and last stage of the Tour de France 2020 cycling race over 122km from Mantes-La-Jolie to Paris, France. EPA

Team UAE Emirates rider Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey attends the start of the 21st and last stage of the 107th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 122 km between Mantes-la-Jolie and Champs Elysees Paris. AFP

Team UAE Emirates rider Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey (3rd-L) and Team UAE Emirates riders ride during the 21st and last stage of the 107th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 122 km between Mantes-la-Jolie and Champs Elysees Paris. AFP

Team Jumbo rider Slovenia's Primoz Roglic waits prior to the 21st and last stage of the 107th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 122 km between Mantes-la-Jolie and Champs Elysees Paris. AFP

Spectators watch the peloton passing by during the 21st stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 122 km from Mantes la Jolie to Paris, France. EPA

Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar (2-nd L) of the UAE Team Emirates, flanked by teammates, wears the overall leader's yellow jersey as waiting for the start of the 21st and last stage of the Tour de France 2020 cycling race over 122km from Mantes-La-Jolie to Paris, France. EPA

Tadej Pogacar has said he "can't wait for the challenge" of defending his Tour de France title after UAE Team Emirates announced the lineup that will support him in his quest.

Pogacar, then 21, made history in September when he became the youngest Tour de France champion in 116 years and first winner from Slovenia. With the Grand Tour race back in its usual June-July slot following last year's pandemic-enforced rescheduling, Pogacar returns as one of the leading contenders.

Not only is the Slovenian the defending champion, but he enters the Tour in fine form following a successful season.

He began the year with victory in the Tirreno–Adriatico, before winning the team's home race at the UAE Tour. Pogacar then won his first Classic at Liege–Bastogne–Liege, and most recently took the title at the Tour of Slovenia.

“It’s a privilege to be back to the Tour as the defending champion," Pogacar, 22, said. "It’s been a tough year for a lot of people and we hope we can give everyone three weeks of exciting racing.

"My year so far has gone really well and I’m really looking forward to starting this Tour with good preparation and good condition. I am confident in myself and my team, we can’t wait for the challenge.”

To aid Pogacar's challenge, UAE Team Emirates have named a team designed to support their lead rider. He will be joined by Portugal's former world champion Rui Costa, Italian Davide Formolo, Norwegian rider Vegard Stake Laengen, Brandon McNulty of the United States, Poland's Rafal Majka, Mikkel Bjerg of Denmark, and Swiss Marc Hirschi.

“Our aim for this year is clear: we are going to try and defend the title which Tadej claimed last year, so we have built a team around him," team manager Joxean Matxin Fernandez said.

"We have a good mix of youth and experience to support Tadej with a strong block of climbers and also solid riders for the flat roads.

"Obviously we’ll be heavily marked by the other teams and it’s not going to be an easy task, but we are confident and know that a big result is well within the capabilities of Tadej and the team.”

The 2021 Tour de France, which starts on Saturday from Brest and concludes on July 18 in Paris, will cover 3,383km over 21 stages, including two individual time trials.

Much of the first week will be spent on the flat, rolling roads of Brittany before transitioning over to the Alps and onto the Pyrenees before the riders arrive at the Champs Elysees in Paris.