
Tour de France 2025 sees Tadej Pogačar lead a stacked UAE Team Emirates roster. Here's why cycling fans in the Gulf should be watching closely.
Tadej Pogačar heads into the 2025 Tour de France backed by what many observers are calling the deepest support roster in the race’s modern era. The Slovenian superstar and his UAE Team Emirates squad arrive as overwhelming favourites, with a lineup built not just to protect one leader, but to dominate every stage of the race.

Pogačar is a two-time Tour de France champion who also claimed the 2024 title in commanding fashion. He is widely regarded as the best all-round cyclist in the world right now, capable of winning mountain stages, time trials, and even sprint finishes when the race demands it.
What makes 2025 different is the quality of the riders assembled around him. According to the original report from Outside Magazine, the supporting cast is not merely solid, it is extraordinary, stacked with riders who could lead lesser teams to overall victories in their own right.
UAE Team Emirates has constructed a roster where Pogačar’s key domestiques are themselves elite climbers and time triallists. That means rival teams face a near-impossible task: neutralise one threat, and another appears immediately.
The strategic depth allows the team to control races from the front, dictate tempo on mountain ascents, and respond aggressively to any attack. No other squad in the 2025 peloton can match that combination of individual quality and collective strength.
This is not simply a European cycling story. UAE Team Emirates is owned and sponsored by the Emirates airline group and backed by Abu Dhabi’s investment in global sport. The team’s continued dominance on the world’s biggest cycling stage is a direct reflection of the UAE’s ambition to lead in international sports.
The UAE has invested heavily in professional cycling infrastructure over the past decade, hosting the UAE Tour, one of the sport’s premier February stage races that regularly attracts the world’s top riders to the country. Pogačar’s success puts UAE branding and soft power on the Tour de France podium, the most watched cycling event on earth.
For Gulf sports fans, following UAE Team Emirates at the Tour is following a home team on the global stage.
| Team | Leader | Perceived Strength 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| UAE Team Emirates | Tadej Pogačar | Overwhelming favourite |
| Visma-Lease a Bike | Jonas Vingegaard | Strong challenger |
| Ineos Grenadiers | TBC | Stage hunting |
| Lidl-Trek | Giulio Ciccone | Climbing threat |
The 2025 Tour de France gets underway in July. The race spans 21 stages over three weeks, winding through some of France’s most punishing mountain terrain. Pogačar will be gunning for a fourth overall title, which would place him among the sport’s all-time greats.
For Gulf viewers, the race is broadcast across multiple regional sports channels, with highlights packages widely available online. Given the UAE connection, expect strong local media coverage as the race reaches its mountain crescendos.
With UAE Team Emirates looking this formidable, do you think any rival squad has a genuine plan to stop Pogačar, or is the 2025 Tour already decided before a wheel has turned? Share your thoughts in the comments below.






