Cycling news - Tadej Pogacar in core squad for UAE Emirates Tour de France campaign

The Tour de France features 21-year-old Tadej Pogacar, who is regarded as a challenger for the overall title after an impressive third place finish in the general classification of last years' Vuelta.

However, speaking to Cyclingnews, he was reticent to declare an overall win as within his grasp.

"Everything is up in the air, but if there is a Tour de France this year, it's too early to think of a GC result for me. I expect to prepare well, and I'll do everything that I can, but I can't start talking about results," Pogacar said

"Of course, I want to race there and to be with the best, and to try to attack, but I know that it's going to be difficult. It could be even tougher because a lot of riders who were down for the Giro and the Vuelta will probably head to the Tour now. It means that the competition will be even bigger."

Fernando Gaviria was provisionally lined up for the Tour de France as Team Emirates' sprint challenger, but the Colombian contracted coronavirus on the later stages of the UAE Tour in February. A prolonged quarantine in the United Arab Emirates meant he was only able to return to Colombia on 8 April, followed by another period of quarantine in his home country.

A return to training means he is now able to be included in the team's squad for the Giro d'Italia instead of the Tour de France. Some riders such as David de la Cruz and Davide Formolo are part of the core squads for both the Tour and the Veulta.

UAE Team Emirates described their squads as being able to support "mixed goals with a good balance of climbers, sprinters and versatile stage-hunters". Complete squads will be announced closer to the start of each Tour.

Mauro Gianetti, the UAE Team manager explained, "We are cautious but also optimistic. The solidarity within the team has been a great asset throughout this period, and we aim to carry that forward as we move back to racing.

"A huge amount of work has been done by the team behind the scenes, along with the help of our sponsors, to ensure a viable safety protocol for when the racing returns.

"The prospect of racing again soon is an exciting one for the team, the sponsors and also for the fans. The riders themselves are more motivated than ever with this new calendar."

Tour de France: Fabio Aru, Tadej Pogačar, Davide Formolo, David De la Cruz, Alexander Kristoff

Giro d’Italia: Fernando Gaviria, Maximiliano Richeze, Sebastian Molano, Brandon McNulty, Joe Dombrowski, Valerio Conti, Diego Ulissi

Vuelta Espana: David De la Cruz, Davide Formolo, Fabio Aru, Jasper Philipsen, Rui Costa