Dominance appears to be a buzzword of modern day cycling, particularly with regards to the current season as it unfolds. If it’s not Tadej Pogačar’s dominance at Strade Bianche or the Giro d’Italia, it’s Mathieu van der Poel’s dominance of the Spring Classics that we’re all talking about.
But in relation to Pogačar and his UAE Emirates team, the dominance and superiority that we’ve already witnessed could imminently be elevated to new heights by the end of July.
Winning a Grand Tour by almost ten minutes, as Pogačar did at the Giro in May, was something previously only associated with sepia-toned photographs of the likes of Fausto Coppi, Eddy Merckx and other greats, until the Slovenian phenom brought that concept crashing back into the present day this year.
Although that feat, as impressive as it is, could soon be bumped to one side if UAE Emirates achieve what is seemingly a very real possibility for the state-owned squad, a clean sweep of the Tour de France podium this summer.
Pogačar recently confirmed his full list of teammates for the Tour and said that Adam Yates will be his right hand man as he looks to land a third overall victory in the yellow jersey. Yates and João Almeida are both in the squad alongside an array of other fearsome talent.
Since then, both riders underlined their own credentials and proved that they are equally bang in form with a stunning display of dominance at the Tour de Suisse. Four stage wins for the group and Yates taking the overall title will have reverberated through the WorldTour peloton.
Not only is Pogačar the best male rider in the world on current form, he’s heading to the Grand Départ with two teammates by his side who are equally capable of causing utter mayhem in the high mountains once the race gets underway.
As well as being present beside their leader when the gradients begin to bite in the mountains, both riders have the form and talent to ride themselves onto the final podium in Nice alongside Pogačar.
Clean sweeps of a Grand Tour podium are nothing new. Visma-Lease a Bike managed to achieve just that at the Vuelta a España last year with Sepp Kuss, Jonas Vingegaard and Primož Roglič taking first, second and third respectively.
But it has not been achieved at the Tour de France, the biggest of the three, since 1928. Bernard Hinault, Greg Lemond and the iconic La Vie Claire team came close in 1986, although Andy Hampsten’s fourth-place finish meant the team just missed out on achieving the clean sweep.
A handful of teams have managed to get two riders on the Tour podium in Paris in the last ten years. UAE did just that last year with Pogačar and Yates completing the podium behind Vingegaard as he took his second win. However, the Dane’s form and fitness coming into this year’s Tour has meant that the odds have increased of a UAE 1, 2, 3 this time out.
Vingegaard’s horrific injuries sustained in a high-speed crash at Itzulia Basque Country in April have been well documented. Primož Roglič, now of Bora-Hansgrohe, also came down in the fall, as did Remco Evenepoel. Since getting back on his bike, Vingegaard is yet to race and has been focusing on training, most recently in Tignes, as he prepares for an expected Tour return.
Evenepoel was in contention at the recent Critérium du Dauphiné before Roglič eventually took the win. All three are expected to challenge Pogačar in July, but there is uncertainty as to how they will fare once the race gets underway, particularly the Dane if he is indeed selected.
With question marks surrounding his rival's fitness, UAE Emirates and Pogačar could look to take control of the race from the word go as they did last year in Bilbao.
The two hilly opening stages finishing in Rimini and Bologna could see Pogačar on the offensive, looking to land an early blow before the yellow jersey title fight has even reached the fifth round.
UAE’s strength in depth and the form of the team’s key men means that they are already streets ahead. Get ready for a whole new level of dominance this July.
