Tadej Pogacar heads into the Tour de France looking to secure a fourth crown backed by the momentum of what has been a superb 2025 so far.
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider has been in relentless form this season having sealed victories at the UAE Tour, La Fleche Wallone, Strade Bianche, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Tour of Flanders and the Criterium du Dauphine.
The latter title was particularly satisfying for Pogacar who won the race for the first time having held off the challenge of great rival Jonas Vingegaard on his way to victory.
The 26-year-old Slovenian heads to Le Tour start line in Lille on Saturday knowing that overall victory will take him level with British rider Chris Froome for race wins – with record-holding five-time victors Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain firmly in his sights.
And French legend Hinault is confident the record is there for Pogacar's taking. “I think that Pogacar will really leave his mark on cycling for a few years to come,” the 70-year-old told AFP this week.
“He is perhaps the only one who will be able to beat the record. He is only 26 years old. When you look at the list of victories he's already won, he's well on schedule.
“He's already won three Tours de France, the Giro d'Italia, the world championship title, the classics … He's a complete rider.”
Ahead of Saturday's Grand Depart, Pogacar speaks to The National about his season so far and his hopes for the upcoming race.
Q: You’ve had a mightily impressive start to the 2025 season. Now you’ve had a bit of time to reflect, how do view your efforts so far?
A: It’s been an incredible start to the season, one that I will remember for a long time. Starting in the UAE, in front of our incredible fans, all the way through to the recent win at the Dauphine. I feel extremely happy. Chapeaux to the team, without them, I would not have been able to get these amazing results.
Q: Your win at the Dauphine was particularly dominant, three stage wins and the overall title. How much confidence does that give you heading into this year’s Tour de France?
A: I arrived at the Dauphine wanting to continue my preparations for the Tour de France, but of course, I wanted to win as well. On Stage 1, Jonas attacked me, and it was painful, but I managed to recover and take an amazing win.
The real test came at the end of the week, and I want to say a huge thank you to my teammates, their support made my job easier, and my legs felt good all week. So in the end, it was a perfect preparation for what’s to come.
Q: The team gathered for a pre-Tour training camp at Isola 2000. How important was that time together, and how is the mood within the team ahead of the big race?
A: Training camp with the team is always important, it gave us time to focus and put in some good training on the bike, but also to spend time together and really build that team spirit.
Of course, we were missing some riders, like Joao [Almeida], but it is also great to see him riding so well and taking so many wins. We know we have a big challenge ahead of us, but everyone is really focused, and the vibes are high.
Q: With another challenging Tour course on the horizon, are there any particular stages you’ve identified as crucial for the team’s overall ambitions?
A: As a team, we are focused on the overall goal – winning the Tour de France. The Tour is a race where every second counts and staying alert throughout every second is extremely important.
Of course, there is a focus on all the mountain stages, but as a team, we are confident in our legs and our ability to put in good performances. I can’t wait to get going.
Q: You’re chasing your fourth Tour de France title. what does this race mean to you, and how does it feel to have experienced so much success here?
A: Winning the Tour once is absolutely amazing, but winning it for a third time, in the way we did it last season, was unreal. The Tour means a lot to me, you’re battling the best riders in the world for three weeks, it’s relentless at times.
The whole world stops to watch the Tour, it motivates me a lot to put in good performances for the fans of our sport, crossing the line in the yellow jersey will always be one of the best moments of my career.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
UAE Tour 2020
Stage 1: The Pointe Palm Jumeirah - Dubai Silicon Oasis, 148km
Stage 2: Hatta - Hatta Dam, 168km
Stage 3: Al Qudra Cycle Track - Jebel Hafeet, 184km
Stage 4: Zabeel Park - Dubai City Walk, 173km
Stage 5: Al Ain - Jebel Hafeet, 162km
Stage 6: Al Ruwais - Al Mirfa, 158km
Stage 7: Al Maryah Island - Abu Dhabi Breakwater, 127km
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Fixtures
Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs
Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms
Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles
Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon
Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
First-round leaderbaord
-5 C Conners (Can)
-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);
-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)
Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)
Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng)
1 L Westwood (Eng), J Spieth (US)
3 R McIlroy (NI)
4 D Johnson (US)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MATCH INFO
CAF Champions League semi-finals first-leg fixtures
Tuesday:
Primeiro Agosto (ANG) v Esperance (TUN) (8pm UAE)
Al Ahly (EGY) v Entente Setif (ALG) (11PM)
Second legs:
October 23
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
RESULT
Uruguay 3 Russia 0
Uruguay: Suárez (10'), Cheryshev (23' og), Cavani (90')
Russia: Smolnikov (Red card: 36')
Man of the match: Diego Godin (Uruguay)
Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
EU Russia
The EU imports 90 per cent of the natural gas used to generate electricity, heat homes and supply industry, with Russia supplying almost 40 per cent of EU gas and a quarter of its oil.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
