Pogačar domestique sizes up Tour de France rivals: 'One or two days when Evenepoel doesn't perform as well'

The peloton is gearing up for the start of the Tour de France. Once again, we’ll see plenty of domestiques working hard for their team leaders, such as Nils Politt for Tadej Pogačar. Sportschau spoke at length with the German rider from UAE Team Emirates, who had kind words for his team leader but also shed some light on the competition.

Helping a team leader and giving your all may sound simple, but Politt explains why that is absolutely not the case. “You’re under constant pressure, from kilometer zero to the finish line, and that’s over 21 stages. You have to be ready at any moment to deal with unforeseen problems. You have to stay focused for three weeks. It’s a tough mental test. This job isn’t easy.”

If Pogacar succeeds, it would mark his fifth Tour victory. That would place the world champion among a select group. Is anything less than the overall victory actually a disappointment? “That might be too strong a word. We’re aware that all sorts of things can go wrong,” said Politt.

“If everything goes according to plan, Tadej is clearly aiming for the Tour victory. He’s actually very calm. Everyone gets their instructions during the briefing. Although there are days when we already know what’s expected of us, and then our team director asks, 'Tadej, are you going to attack this time?' Tadej answers, of course."

Still, things don’t always go exactly according to plan. “Sometimes he changes his mind during the race, depending on the situation. In other words, you don’t necessarily have to develop a specific strategy for him for a given day.” Words his competitors will hear with a heavy heart.

Of those competitors, Jonas Vingegaard looks set to be Pogacar’s biggest challenger. “He was outstanding in the Giro,” Politt says of the Dane. “Now it’s crucial that he recovers well. Jonas has become much stronger in every respect over the past few years; he’s worked very hard on himself. It won’t be easy to beat him.”

Still, Politt realizes that the competition goes far beyond Vingegaard. “It’ll be interesting to see how the young Frenchman Paul Seixas does in his first Tour. He’s only 19, and I think he’ll still have to learn some hard lessons about long-distance racing. Florian Lipowitz broke through into the world’s elite last year. I expect him to be in contention for a podium finish.'

Anything else? “It’s still unclear how Remco Evenepoel will fare. In three-week stage races, there are always one or two days when he doesn’t perform as well,” the UAE-based German explains.

In any case, the German believes his team has the strongest roster. “We have top riders for every stage and every challenge of the race. And with Isaac del Toro, who is making his Tour debut, we have a phenomenal domestique for the mountains.” Del Toro is only 22 years old; he won the grueling Tour de l’Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in mid-June, and despite his supporting role for Pogacar, he can still finish in the top five of the Tour.