While Jonas Vingegaard recently made headlines at the Giro d’Italia, things were comparatively quiet for his big rival Tadej Pogacar. The world champion from Team UAE Emirates-XRG is currently preparing for the Tour de France in the Spanish Sierra Nevada – and according to team director Andrej Hauptman, everything is going according to plan.
“We are concentrating fully on our own preparations,” explained Hauptman in an interview with the Slovenian broadcaster “RTVSLO”. Although Vingegaard’s performance at the Giro was closely followed, the focus was on being optimally prepared for the highlight of the season. “We always knew that Jonas was a top driver. I never had any doubt that he would reach his highest level again.”
Pogacar is currently completing a high-altitude training camp in the Sierra Nevada. The Slovenian then has the Tour de Suisse on his agenda before he takes part in another training camp and finally travels to the Tour de France.
When asked about his captain’s performance data, Hauptman answered briefly but meaningfully: “Tadej is on the right track for the Tour de France.”
Not just Vingegaard as a threat to Pogacar?
In addition to Vingegaard, Hauptman has other potential competitors in mind. The young Frenchman Paul Seixas particularly impressed the Slovenian.
“It will be his first Grand Tour. He will then be the same age as Tadej was at his Vuelta debut in 2019. Seixas has already shown what challenges he can overcome. He will certainly play an important role.”
In addition, Hauptman referred to the strong competition from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and other teams with several ranked drivers.
“Not only the Slovenians, but cycling fans all over the world can look forward to this extraordinary generation – with riders like Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Mathieu van der Poel,” said Hauptman.