UAE Team Emirates' Pogacar aims for 
third straight Tour de France title

Tadej Pogacar will begin his bid for a third straight Tour de France title later this week alongside four of the same teammates who helped him to last year’s yellow jersey.

The Tour begins in Copenhagen on Friday.

The Slovenian was unsurprisingly on Monday named in the UAE Team Emirates line-up for the race, which gets underway in Copenhagen on Friday.

Switzerland’s Marc Hirschi was a notable omission, but Polish climber Rafal Majka, Mikkel Bjerg, Brandon McNulty and Vegard Stake Laengen all made the cut.

New Zealander George Bennett and Spain’s Marc Soler, both signed in the off-season, are in the team, as is Italian sprinter Matteo Trentin.

“We’ve worked very hard all year as a team to prepare for this,” said the 23-year-old Pogacar.

“So far this year has been positive for the team and we hope to continue this momentum.”

Pogacar is a strong favourite for the Tour after another impressive season which has seen him win the one-day Strade Bianche and two stage races.

Meanwhile, Trek-Segafredo named former world champion Mads Pedersen as their team leader on Monday.

Kazakh Alexey Lutsenko, who finished seventh last year, will be the main man for Astana, who will also have four Italian riders on the start line in Denmark.

Meanwhile, Mark Cavendish will not ride in the Tour de France after the British rider was named as a first-reserve rider by Belgian team Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl on Monday.

Cavendish had made his case for Tour de France selection after winning his second British road race title on Sunday, saying he will win stages if selected.

The 37-year-old equalled the all-time record for stage wins last year and was hopeful of breaking the record at the July 1-24 race but will be on reserve along with Florian Senechal while Julian Alaphilippe is not in the eight-man team.

Dutchman Fabio Jakobsen, who has 10 victories this year, will be Quick-Step’s sprinter.

UAE Team Emirates team: Tadej Pogacar (SLO), George Bennett (NZL), Mikkel Bjerg (DEN), Vegard Stake Laengen (NOR), Rafal Majka (POL), Brandon McNulty (USA), Marc Soler (ESP), Matteo Trentin (ITA)