"We're not afraid of Vingegaard"; while the Dane and Plugge gear up for the Tour, it's now up to UAE

UAE Emirates-XRG is recovering from defeat in the Giro d'Italia, where Isaac Del Toro lost the pink jersey in stage twenty. "Of course, we were all hoping for del Toro to win, so there was some disappointment at first," said 50-year-old Hauptman in an interview with RTV Slo. "The climb to Finestre, where Simon Yates lost the 2018 Giro, was decisive. That's sport, you always do everything you can, sometimes it doesn't work out, the other time it does. The positive thing is that we have brought in a star who has already proven that he can perform at the highest level," praises Slovenian former rider Del Toro.

"Del Toro must have been at his limit. Otherwise, he would have done many things differently," Hauptman continued in his post-race analysis. "It's also important to know that on climbs like these, where the riders are fighting for themselves, the connection with the team manager is often poor, and it's quite possible that there was no communication between Del Toro and UAE.” Del Toro finished second in the GC, but according to Hauptman, we will see him on the podium of a Grand Tour more often."

With the Tour of Italy behind us, all eyes in the cycling world are slowly turning to the Tour. In preparation for La Grande Boucle, the Critérium du Dauphiné starts on Sunday, where last year's entire Tour podium will be at the start with Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, and Remco Evenepoel. "It will be a real rehearsal for the Tour de France. It has the same organizer and a similar race. Tadej will certainly perform at the highest level there. We are used to him at the top of his game all season. We will see where we stand and then complete the altitude training."

The Slovenian prepared in the Sierra Nevada ahead of the Dauphiné, while after the French stage race, an altitude training camp in Isola 2000 is on the program—all this to peak during the most important goal, namely the Tour. The Tour de France has many climbs that Pogacar has bad memories of, such as the Col de la Loze, Hautacam, and Mont Ventoux, but there is no fear whatsoever.

In fact, UAE is exuding confidence if we believe Hauptman. "We are not afraid of Vingegaard; we are not afraid of anyone,” he says boldly. We are sticking to our plan, which we believe is right." However, we know that Vingegaard and Evenepoel will perform at the highest level in the Tour, and so will we. There are many climbs that Tadej has not yet won, including the Col de la Loze. That will certainly motivate him even more.

Hauptman knows that Pogacar must be on his guard right from the start to win. "The competition is most intense in the Tour and the pressure is enormous. Extreme heat is expected in July. The first week of the race in northern France can be very hectic, as it is every year, and we will have to be very careful. Having a strong team to survive all those stages."