Overview
- At UAE Team Emirates' media day in Benidorm, Tadej Pogacar said he would choose a Roubaix victory over another Tour win and set completing the remaining Monuments as his 2026 priority.
- He unveiled a program starting at Strade Bianche on March 8 and including Milan–Sanremo, Tour of Flanders, Paris–Roubaix, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Tour de Romandie, Tour de Suisse and the Tour de France, with a planned bid for the world title in Montreal.
- UAE confirmed a Tour support reshuffle with João Almeida targeting the 2026 Giro d'Italia and 22-year-old Isaac del Toro stepping into a key helper role for the Tour.
- Pogacar praised del Toro as a standout talent and expressed hope he could follow in his footsteps, underlining both immediate support and longer-term succession planning.
- A fifth Tour de France victory in 2026 would tie the all-time record of Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain, despite Pogacar signalling a Monument-first preference.