The battleship Jumbo Visma and defending champion Jonas Vingegaard are scary, but Joxean Fernandez Matxin (sports manager of the UAE Team Emirates) it is certain that His men will give the yellow and blacks a hard time and he says it bluntly. Yesterday Pogacar and Vingegaard (opening photo) just had a go at each other. During our brief visit to the team's retreat in Sestriere, we saw Rafal Majka, Marc Soler and the new 2023 signings Adam Yates and Felix Grosschartner at work.
Now Adam Yates He won a stage and a jersey at the Tour, we teased him on a wider scale, from last month's podium of João Almeida at the Giro d'Italia and on how much good the rising star has shown Juan Ayuso at the Tour of Switzerland.
How do you assess the team's first half of 2023?
We have seen many interesting things, especially from three riders that I have been following for several years and who enjoy my full trustI've known Almeida since he was a junior, as has Tadej, while Ayuso has been known since he was a student. They are boys who I have seen grow mentally and physicallyAlmeida sent an important signal to the Giro.
Will we see him again at the Vuelta?
Yes, that's the idea, as well as Ayuso who will have the Spanish race as the focus of the seasonHe's a rider who's growing a lot and we're placing a lot of trust in him.
So, no abundance problem?
No, because between all three, that is Tadej, João and Juan, there is a fantastic relationshipYou've already seen them together, especially the last two, for example at last year's Vuelta. But also Almeida and Pogacar, or Pogacar and Ayuso who worked together in Sierra Nevada and had some nice, quiet days of training alone. Smart people are easy to work with, and they are.
Can you tell us about Tadej's unusual approach to the 2023 Tour?
We made an initial program a little different than what we had in mind, even if the timeframes were similar. Since January we have removed the altitude that we were doing for the UAE Tour and, even though we knew that this was an important race for our team, We took it out to give people like Ayuso and Yates a chance to show themselves.We especially needed to give the latter a fair amount of space, after having really wanted him in the team.
Will he be Pogacar's last man up the climb?
He is a rider who He can also be a very good leader. In short, a second captainHe has integrated well, you saw him too at Dauphiné, not far from Vingegaard, even though he is not yet in the best condition.
Do you still want to learn British?
We all learn, Even at 52, I continue to learn something from my riders., both on a professional and personal level.
Does Tadej still amaze you?
Well, all the goals you set for yourself, you will fulfill with him. He is complete in all aspects and is capable of winning in sprints, time trials, in a climb, in a long climb, on cobblestones.He is perfection made into a cyclist.
And humanly?
He's a normal guy. Saying that about him may seem strange, but it's true. Like Ayuso, who I was with a few days ago in Switzerland: They are riders who go fast whatever they do, because they do their job well.
Did you mark any particular milestones in red during the third week after the inspections?
Sure, but obviously I'm not going to tell you which one (laughs, ed.).
Is there any chance of seeing Tadej at the Vuelta as well?
At the moment, the only focus is the Tour, also because it was a particular yearHe rode an incredible first part of the season up to Liège, which was still the last race of that period even without the crash. Without a hitch, he would have done either the Dauphiné or the Tour of Slovenia in view of the TourInstead, we changed the program and decided to focus directly on the national championships (with the double success, ed.) to give him more recovery. We had to take the right steps.
How is he now?
Well, his condition is improving and we decided, after Sierra Nevada, to move to Sestriere also to avoid making too many trips. In Spain, he used the brace on his time trial bike to avoid leaning on it and putting pressure on his hand, now he uses it and takes it off, he still has the tan from the brace, but the progression is right, then we'll see as we go along.
Is the team fired up?
We made it clear several days before the official announcement who would ride the Tour and who would be the reserves. We had a first briefing in Sierra Nevada and then another in Sestriere which was attended by all the sports directorsWe've studied the stages that await us, the tactics with plan A, B, and so on, but also the rivals we'll face.
Will it be a thrilling Tour like last year, with the Pogacar-Vingegaard duel dominating the stage?
I sincerely believe that we have important opponents. We cannot hide and it can be said that the sporting rivalry with vingegaard he is very strong and his condition is importantHowever, we must not forget that Tadej has won a lot (14 out of 20 races with the two new jerseys of Slovenian national champion last weekend, ed.), even letting some of his teammates win on some occasions. It will be fun.
