Tadej Pogacar leads charge as UAE Team Emirates-XRG target ‘key objective’ in home race

Slovenian triple crown winner eyes victory at Jebel Hafeet after two-year absence

UAE Team Emirates' Tadej Pogacar celebrates after winning the UAE Tour on Saturday, February 26, 2022. AFP

UAE Team Emirates' Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar won the UAE Tour 2022 on Saturday. AFP

UAE Team Emirates' Tadej Pogacar celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the UAE Tour. AFP

Tadej Pogacar celebrates after successfully defending his UAE Tour title. AFP

Riders compete during stage seven of the UAE Tour from Al Jahili Fort to Jebel Hafeet. AFP

Riders compete during stage 7 of the UAE Tour. AFP

Riders compete during stage 7 of the United Arab Emirates cycling tour, from Al Jahili Fort to Jebel Hafeet, on February 26, 2022. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)

UAE Team Emirates' cyclist Tadej Pogacar, right, and Rafal Majka on Saturday. AFP

Riders compete during stage seven of the UAE Tour. AFP

Riders during stage seven of the UAE Tour. AFP

Triple crown winner Tadej Pogacar will lead the charge for UAE Team Emirates-XRG when they attempt to win their home race and achieve a "key objective” for 2025.

The UAE Tour takes place from February 17-23 when the Slovenian superstar – who missed the team's two previous home races – is targeting a third title having secured top spot in 2021 and 2022.

Pogacar is back in competitive action having enjoyed a sensational 2024 which saw him become only the third man in history to win the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and World Championships in the same year.

He leads a seven-strong UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad on home turf that also includes Mikkel Berg, Rune Herregodts, Sebastian Molano, Domen Novak, Florian Vermeersch and Jay Vine.

The team arrives with five victories in the bag already this season and will be the ones to watch across the seven days of cycling in the UAE.

The key stages are set to be the Stage 2 time trial at Al Hudayriyat Island (12.2km) followed by the first mountain test on Stage 3 to Jebel Jais, and the iconic final stage finish at Jebel Hafeet.

The team focus will obviously be on Pogacar as leader for the GC, but Colombian rider Sebastian Molano is aiming to take his first win of the year in the sprint stages.

“I’m really excited and motivated to start the season,” Pogacar, who signed a new six-year contract with the team in October, said.

“Luckily, I can say that I had a pretty smooth preparation for this first part of the season and I’m feeling good and ready to go.

“It’s been a few years now since I’ve raced UAE Tour, and I must say I’m looking forward to it.

“I’m confident to lead the team and I will have strong support around me, both from my teammates and from all the support we get from the fans in UAE whenever we race there.

“The important thing is we put on a good show and really push to win the title in the home race.

“Usually, the key stages will be the time trial and then the two mountain finishes at Jebel Jais and Jebel Hafeet but if we get wind on the flat days, it can also play a factor, so we need to be ready for anything.

“From a spectators’ point of view it will be a really nice race and I can’t wait to start.”

Sports manager Matxin Fernandez made clear just how central the UAE Tour is to the team's 2025 plans.

“It’s no secret that this race is one of our key objectives of the year,” said the Spaniard. “The aim will be quite clear: to try to take the title which has eluded us the past two years.

“We’re on home soil and we know that all eyes will be on us, but it’s something we’ll use as further motivation in the race.

“Pogacar will be our clear leader, and we hope for a strong team performance in the TT and for Molano in the sprints. Every stage is very important in this race.”

Belgian rider Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto Dstny) was the surprise winner of last year's UAE Tour, finishing two seconds clear of the Australian Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) and 11 clear of the Spaniard Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious).

Pogacar, meanwhile, has dropped a hint that he could make his debut in the Paris-Roubaix, one of the oldest races in professional road cycling.

The three-time Tour de France winner posted a video on social media appearing to be shot on the iconic Trouee d'Arenberg sector, one of the most difficult stretches of cobbles in the Paris-Roubaix.

His key right-hand man for the Classics and Grand Tours, Tim Wellens, was on filming duty for the Instagram video which had the teaser caption of “Guess the place”.

One of cycling's five prestigious Monuments, Paris-Roubaix takes place on April 13 and covers 259.2km of tough terrain, including 30 cobbled sections, between Compiegne and Roubaix.

Pogacar admitted in December that he was unsure if 2025 was the right year to tackle the race but also did not rule it out.

“It's not a final decision [to skip it] and maybe I can still do it, but I don’t think it suits me the very best and there is still time to go to do it another year,” said Pogacar during the team's winter training camp.

“I really like to do the Classics. In 2023, I had a really great Classics season until I crashed. I want to go back to the cobbles at least a few more times in my career.”