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2025 Tour de France begins July 5th....
Tadej Pogacar expecting 'big fights' and has 'great ambitions' at 2025 Tour de France as he battles Jonas Vingegaard for yellow jersey
The Tour de France is fast approaching, with the race getting under way on Saturday, live on TNT Sports and discovery+. Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates-XRG is the defending champion and the Slovenian is ready for a battle with the likes of Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) on the roads leading to the finish in Paris.
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) has "great ambitions" ahead of the start of the Tour de France and says he is ready for the "big fights" ahead.
The Slovenian is the hot favourite to win the Tour for a fourth time, on the back of a brilliant season so far.
Pogacar had a stunning Classics campaign with victories at the Tour of Flanders, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Strade Bianche and La Fleche Wallonne.
The 26-year-old put the finishing touches to his Tour prep at the Criterium Du Dauphine, where he beat big rivals Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) in dominant fashion.
Two-time winner Alberto Contador told Eurosport Spain that the likes of Visma and Soudal Quick-Step must make the race hard for Pogacar, and the defending champion is bracing himself for a battle.
"I am really looking forward to the Tour, especially after such a great start of the season," Pogacar told TNT Sports ahead of the Grand Depart in Lille.
"As always, I have great ambitions for the Tour, so coming here with a great team, No. 1 on my back, it's going to be interesting but exciting as well."
The Dauphine was Vingegaard’s first race since suffering a concussion at Paris-Nice. The Dane will be pushing for a third Tour win, and Pogacar is expecting a fight.
"I think we can expect big fights through the next three weeks," Pogacar said.
"Of course the Dauphine is just a one-week race and here it is three weeks; a lot of more difficulties to face, and I hope we are ready as a team for everything."
The one wrinkle for Pogacar at the Dauphine was an underwhelming time trial, and he confirmed he had been working on his TT during a training camp at altitude.
"We went to a team camp in Isola 2000 and we had a great time there, some hard training," Pogacar said. "Some good training on the TT bike to get some confidence back after the Dauphine TT."
This year's Tour de France has two time trials, including a mountain time trial on Stage 13.
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Geraint Thomas says he's 'nervous and apprehensive' ahead of final Tour de France as British legend closes on retirement
Geraint Thomas is gearing up for his final Tour de France. The former Tour winner is planning to retire at the end of the season. The Welshman has admitted he is nervous ahead of the race, which starts this weekend and will be live on TNT Sports and discovery+. Thomas, double Olympic gold medal winner, first competed in the Tour in 2007 and won it in 2018.
Thomas feeling ‘apprehensive’ and ‘nervous’ ahead of Tour de France
Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) has admitted he feels "apprehensive and nervous" as he gears up for the final Tour de France of his glittering career.
Welshman Thomas, who first competed at the Tour in 2007 and won the race in 2018, is planning to retire at the end of the season.
Ahead of his final Tour de France, Thomas told TNT Sports: "I'm a bit apprehensive. I feel a bit like 2007 again, just a bit nervous, not sure what to quite expect.
"I feel like I've worked hard to be in decent shape. Obviously it would have been nice to have completed Swiss [Tour de Suisse] and got that in the legs.
"I'm really looking forward to it. Hopefully, we're going to have a good race for myself and the team."
Thomas was asked what advice he would have given himself if he could go back to his Tour debut in 2007.
"Just enjoy it, soak it all up, because it goes super quick. Everyone tells you that when you are young; time flies, make the most of it.
"So just get stuck in, enjoy it, take from it what you can."
Earlier this week, Thomas said he would be targeting a stage win as a special way to bow out.
The Ineos rider told a media call: "I'd love to just be competitive and go for a stage. I think a stage win would be amazing.
"Then, obviously, being alongside Carlos [Rodriguez] deep into the mountains and helping him as much as I can, really off the bike as much as on it, and he knows what he's doing anyway."
Thomas' participation in the race was in serious doubt a couple of weeks ago, following a nasty crash at the Tour de Suisse. But he has recovered and is now ready to compete over the next three weeks.
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Pogacar expecting ‘big fight’ in bid to defend Tour de France title
Aside from his Tour heroics, Thomas won team pursuit gold for Great Britain at two Olympic Games, Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
He also won team pursuit gold at three World Championships and will go down as one of the star performers in a truly golden age for British cycling.
The Tour de France starts in Lille on Saturday July 5th, and will run through until the climax in Paris on Sunday, July 27.
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