Matxin backs Pogacar, but is wary of Niermann's Visma exit: 'doesn't exactly create stability'

The Tour de France is fast approaching. In it, Tadej Pogacar will again be one of the absolute top favourites, while Jonas Vingegaard prepares for his second Grand Tour of the year after winning the Giro d'Italia. UAE team boss Joxean Fernandez Matxin has already been looking ahead to the possible duel with the Visma star.

Vingegaard won the Giro, but he didn't race a great deal before it. "If you subtract those 21 race days [in the Giro] from his total, there aren't that many competition days left: he rode around 35 or 36 days, of which roughly 15 were in races like Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya," Matxin calculated, speaking to Marca.

But: "Nevertheless, riding a Giro and then a Tour involves much more than just the number of race days. If you do an altitude camp for the Giro and then another one for the Tour, that's mentally demanding. Being away from home for so long is tough for any cyclist — I'm not talking about a specific case, but in general."

The Spaniard stopped short of making a real prediction about how that would play out. "There's no point in anticipating too much about what might happen. We're convinced that the preparation has been good, the riders are in good form, the team is excellent, Tadej is the best in the world, and the group around him is also at its peak."

Even so, the team boss can see that Visma have taken a step forward. "We're talking about riders like Jorgenson or Van Aert, who in many cases can be decisive — as we saw last year at the Giro. These are riders you can't ignore, or assume that just because they lost time or weren't in a breakaway at one point, they're no longer crucial."

So UAE are "aware that this is one of the teams that can hurt us the most." "It's also true that in the last six years Tadej has won the Tour four times, but Jonas Vingegaard twice. That perfectly reflects the level of competition and the importance of every detail in a race of this calibre."

At the Tour, UAE will face a Visma side without Grischa Niermann. The German is leaving for Lidl-Trek. Could that have an impact on the Tour? "I don't know exactly how the relationship ended — whether it was an agreement where someone had to stay until the Tour, or whether an early departure leads to a different decision about not taking part. Depending on how those conversations went, either scenario could unfold."

Because, as Matxin knows: "If one party takes a unilateral decision, the other party can also react unilaterally in the opposite direction. But, I repeat, I don't know. What is clear is that it doesn't exactly create stability." Though even then: "Despite that, we saw at the Giro d'Italia a perfectly capable team that won stages and the general classification, with a very well-prepared sports director and excellent teamwork."

So in his view, the Tour won't look much different. "That's why I don't see why that level — tactically, technically or competitively — should be affected at the Tour de France. As for Grischa, he is a fantastic person and a wonderful coach, with whom I have maintained a respectful and friendly relationship for many years, since I first met him in the youth categories. I can only express my admiration for him and his work."