Tadej Pogačar says his Tour de France rivals extend beyond Jonas Vingegaard, despite their defining recent rivalry.
The world champion starts another Tour as the central favourite for yellow in Paris. Vingegaard arrives with fresh momentum from his Giro d’Italia victory. Paul Seixas also begins the first chapter of his Tour story.
Yet Pogačar remains the rider many expect to control the race. He returns after a reduced spring programme designed to protect his freshness for July.
Last year, Pogačar dominated the Tour overall. During that run, he also hinted several times at fatigue with cycling’s biggest race.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG adjusted during the winter. The team built a lighter race calendar before the Tour, giving him only 16 race days.
Tour de France rivals not limited to Vingegaard
Pogačar met reporters at his pre-race press conference in Barcelona on Thursday. He rejected any suggestion that fewer races meant less commitment.
He said the race total counted only part of the workload. Training kilometres had also added up during his preparation.
“Only 16 days of racing,” Pogačar said, while adding that the training load also mattered. He concluded that he felt ready.
Pogačar said he still enjoys racing deeply. He linked that feeling to continuity inside UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
He explained that staying with the same team, riders, and staff helps him return happily to competition. He said the environment matters as much as the racing itself.
His competitive reference point remains Vingegaard. The Slovenian and the Dane have filled the top two Tour positions for five straight years.
That run has created an unprecedented two-rider pattern in Tour history. Vingegaard won the overall title in 2022 and 2023.
Even so, Pogačar would not frame this Tour as a simple head-to-head contest. He said several riders could target overall victory.
He also pointed to teammate Isaac del Toro, who will make his Tour debut. Del Toro has already won the UAE Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico, and the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes this year.
Asked about Vingegaard, Pogačar said he was not the only contender. He also referred to Del Toro beside him at the press conference.
Pogačar described his rivalry with Vingegaard as “spectacular.” He said they push each other higher every season.
Reduced race days, high win rate
Pogačar’s shorter lead-in still delivered major results. He opened his season with five Classics and won four of them.
He then shifted toward stage racing at the Tour de Romandie in late April. There, he took four stage victories and the overall title.
His final Tour preparation came at the Tour de Suisse. He won three stages and also claimed the overall classification.
Pogačar skipped the Slovenian championships last weekend. Instead, he stayed with partner Urška Žigart after her Tour de Suisse crash.
Žigart broke her jaw in that crash. Pogačar said staying home together was the right decision.
He also played down claims that UAE Team Emirates-XRG brings its strongest Tour lineup yet. He compared the squad’s level with last year’s team.
The UAE selection includes Del Toro, Brandon McNulty, Adam Yates, Tim Wellens, Florian Vermeersch, Nils Politt, and Felix Grossschartner.
Pogačar called Del Toro an important member of the lineup. He said the team’s goal remains clear: winning the Tour de France.
That ambition places UAE at the centre of the race narrative again. But Pogačar’s message was broader than another duel with Vingegaard.
He expects pressure from multiple Tour de France rivals. Still, he knows his battle with Vingegaard will shape the race once more.
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