Criticism of UAE selection where Belgian is missed: 'They are taking a risk again' and 'Why do you need him too?'

Sam Oomen, who rode the Tour de Suisse earlier this summer, shared his thoughts in Live Slow Ride Fast, the podcast hosted by former pro Laurens ten Dam. “Maybe I’m not entirely objective,” Oomen admitted, “because I raced against him in Switzerland and got my ass handed to me.” He’s talking about João Almeida, one of Pogacar’s key lieutenants — and someone who clearly impressed the Dutch climber. “I think he’s made another step forward and is even better than last year. Just look at his results this season — they’re seriously impressive.”

Indeed, Almeida has racked up victories in the Tour de Suisse, Tour de Romandie, and Itzulia Basque Country. He finished sixth overall at Paris-Nice and runner-up in both the Volta ao Algarve and the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. “Imagine a situation where the group gets whittled down and Almeida hasn’t had to work yet,” Oomen speculated. “If Visma make the race hard and he still has gas in the tank… he’s not going to drop off voluntarily. I’m genuinely curious.”

Though Oomen isn’t riding the Tour himself, he’s kept a close eye on what Almeida has been doing in training. “I don’t know exactly how good he is, but I do know he set the KOM on the Monachil climb on Strava — in the heat. That’s a super relevant climb, on the side of the Sierra Nevada. It’s always hot there, you’re sweating buckets, and it doesn’t have a nice rhythm: steep, flat, steep again. He uploaded the effort for about an hour before taking it down. Florian Vermeersch gave him a lead-out there, and João just flew up. If you get a KOM there, you’re a serious contender.”

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The name Vermeersch popped up again in another podcast — this time In de Waaier, hosted by Dutch journalist Thijs Zonneveld. When analysing the UAE line-up, Zonneveld had mixed feelings. “It’s a fantastic team for the whole Tour,” he began. “But they’re placing a lot of responsibility on Nils Politt and Tim Wellens. Who I think is missing? Florian Vermeersch! I wouldn’t have taken Marc Soler.”

Zonneveld went on to explain why Soler, a pure climber, might not have been the ideal pick. “They need one more rider who can position Pogacar in the first eleven days. They’re taking the same risk again. They’ve gotten away with it in past years, but structurally, this is a recurring gamble — and one that wasn’t necessary. They already have Sivakov, they already have Almeida, they already have Wellens, they already have Yates. Those are all strong guys in the mountains. Even Politt has been seen climbing well, in reduced groups of thirty. So why bring Soler too?”

The question remains unanswered. “It’s not like he’s been riding phenomenally,” Zonneveld added. “I honestly don’t get it. It’s one climber too many. This is a real risk.”

The contrast with Visma | Lease a Bike is notable, in Zonneveld’s view. “Their line-up is more balanced. With Yates, Kuss, and Jorgenson they have top-tier climbers, but also guys who can handle transitional stages extremely well. Affini and Campenaerts are ideal for early positioning, while Benoot, Jorgenson, and Van Aert can take over later. Visma will be able to support Vingegaard better in the first eleven days than UAE can support Pogacar. Their selection just makes more sense.”