UAE Team Emirates have confirmed the roster that will support Tadej Pogačar for his debut at the upcoming Giro d’Italia.
The eight-man roster features a split between those primed to ride in the mountains for the Slovenian’s GC ambitions and a small sprinting core for Juan Sebastián Molano to chase stages.
Pogačar is expected to dominate the 21 days of racing from start to finish with the punchy opening stage on Saturday in Turin offering the chance to carry the maglia rosa right the way through to the conclusion in Rome.
Despite his heavy favourite status, no rider can make it through a Grand Tour alone so UAE Team Emirates have put together a squad with some of the most loyal domestiques from his young but illustrious career.
Rafał Majka, Mikkel Bjerg, Felix Großschartner and Domen Novak will form the mountain train that should launch Pogačar on the key climbs, while Vegard Stake Laengen, Rui Oliveira and Juan Sebastian Molano will both work on the flat to chase breaks and contest the bunch sprints.
“The preparation for the Giro has gone really well. I haven’t raced too much so far this year, just 10 days, so I’m feeling fresh and ready to take on my first Giro. It’s a race I’ve dreamed of doing for a long time and it feels like now that the time is right to go for it,” said Pogačar.
“I raced in Italy a lot as an amateur and it has been an important country in my journey as a cyclist. For sure it is one of my favourite places to ride a bike and I also love the culture and of course the food. I hope we can make this month a special one.
“Obviously my aim is to go for the GC and we also have Molano for the sprints and a very solid team in general. We can’t wait to get it started.”
Majka, Bjerg and Stake Laengen have been present throughout Pogačar’s first few Grand Tours as key lieutenants on the road but making his first start at a three-week race with the Slovenian star will be compatriot Novak.
The 28-year-old joined UAE from Bahrain Victorious in 2023 and has proved a huge pickup. Throughout both the Volta a Catalunya and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Novak was the strongest domestique at Pogačar’s disposal and will look to carry such from into Italy.
While Molano and Oliveira will be put to work on the flat, and are certainly capable, their focus will be on the six or seven sprint opportunities that present themselves on the route.
The Colombian sprinter is yet to take a win this season but took three at WorldTour level in 2023, the best of which was in tandem with Oliveira after the Portuguese lead-out man piloted Molano to a stage 12 win at last year’s Vuelta a España. So expect to see them challenging the likes of Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) and Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) in the fast finishes.
