Tour de France 2025: Tadej Pogacar warns rivals of 'perfect preparation' as UAE Emirates-XRG name stacked Grand Tour squad
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Published 27/06/2025 at 15:32 GMT+1
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Tadej Pogacar is gunning for a fourth Tour de France victory in just his sixth appearance at the biggest race in cycling. The Slovenian warmed up with a superb victory at the Criterium du Dauphine and said he has had the "perfect preparation" as UAE Emirates-XRG named a star-studded squad. The 2025 Tour de France begins with the Grand Depart in Lille on July 5, live on TNT Sports.
The Gruppetto with Rob Hatch: Pogacar mighty but did Dauphine highlight weakness?
Video credit: TNT Sports
Tadej Pogacar says he has had "close to perfect preparation" for his Tour de France title defence after UAE Emirates-XRG named a stacked squad for the prestigious Grand Tour.
In five outings, the Slovenian has won the Tour three times and twice finished runner-up to Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), and he comes into the 2025 edition as the defending champion.
Pogacar has a strong squad to lean on when racing gets underway with the Grand Depart in Lille on July 5, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
The eight-man UAE squad also includes Britain’s Adam Yates and Tour de Suisse champion Joao Almeida, who both finished in the top six in last year’s general classification standings on the Tour.
Five of the riders who supported Pogacar in his recent Criterium du Dauphine victory are also included: Marc Soler, Nils Politt, Pavel Sivakov, Tim Wellens and Jhonatan Narvaez.
"I’m excited for the Tour to start," Pogacar said. "I’m lucky to have had close to the perfect preparation this year — everything has gone really smoothly, especially coming off a great altitude camp with my team-mates.
"The vibes in the team are amazing right now, and that gives me a lot of confidence. Of course, you can never be fully prepared for something like the Tour de France — it’s unpredictable, and that’s part of what makes it so special.
"I’m expecting a very high level from all the other top riders. The first few days should be really exciting for the fans with some open, aggressive stages, and the last week is very climbing-heavy with some iconic stages.
"It’s going to be a big fight all the way to Paris, but I’m ready to give everything. It’s hard to believe it’s already my sixth Tour de France. Time flies."
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So far in 2025, Pogacar has claimed Criterium and UAE Tour wins, along with one-day race victories at the Tour of Flanders, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Strade Bianche and La Fleche Wallonne.
He will be considered the favourite when racing gets underway in July.
The Tour de France begins with Stage 1 on July 5 - a flat stage starting and finishing in Lille.
Racing continues for three weeks through flat, hilly and mountain stages, as well as time trials, before the iconic finish down the Champs-Elysees in Paris on July 27.
Watch and stream the 2025 cycling season on TNT Sports and discovery+
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