UAE Emirates Announce Strong Tour de France Team
UAE Team Emirates have announced a strong line-up for the 2024 Tour de France.
It is:
- Tadej Pogacar
- Juan Ayuso
- Joao Almeida
- Adam Yates
- Pavel Sivakov
- Marc Soler
- Tim Wellens
- Nils Politt
A Mix of Climbers and Rouleurs
The team say that they are taking a mix of climbers and rouleurs.
The climbers are Pogacar, Ayuso, Almeida, Yates, Sivakov and Soler – although Soler is fairly versatile. The rouleurs are Wellens and Politt.
Domestiques Who Could Be Leaders of Other Teams
The team is packed with talent.
Everyone will be riding for Pogacar, but some of his domestiques are good enough that they could be leaders of other teams.
Juan Ayuso is 23 years old, and brimming with promise. This year, he has already won the Faun-Ardeche Classic and the Tour of the Basque Country (albeit after the big favourites crashed out).
Adam Yates and Joao Almeida were first and second at this year’s Tour de Suisse, a long way ahead of their rivals. The eighth and final stage was a mountain time trial won by Almeida.
Adam Yates was good enough in the 2023 Tour de France to be a helper to Pogacar and finish third overall.
Petrostate
UAE is short for United Arab Emirates, which is a petrostate. Their production of oil and gas is contributing to the climate crisis which has led to, among many other extreme weather events, the recent heatwave in the US, Mexico and Central America.
Consumption of fossil fuels must peak before 2030, and this will cut the revenues of petrostates very significantly. In the case of UAE, even a moderately-paced transition would cut their revenue from oil and gas by 60% in the period 2023-2040.
Despite the desperate need to cut greenhouse gas emissions, UAE’s state-owned oil company ADNOC is planning a huge increase in production of fossil fuels.
The sponsorship of a cycling team can be seen as form of sportswashing.
Have riders such as Pogacar and Yates thought about where their money is coming from? Essentially they are paid from profits gained by helping to destroy the world’s habitable climate.
Froome Omitted from Israel Premier Tech Tour Team
Meanwhile, Chris Froome has been left out of Israel Premier Tech’s 2024 Tour de France team.
He fractured his wrist in Tirreno-Adriatico in March and returned to racing in May. He was 81st in the Dauphiné.
The Israel Premier Tech Tour team is:
- Guillaume Boivin
- Jake Stewart
- Jakob Fuglsang
- Stephen Williams
- Pascal Ackermann
- Derek Gee
- Hugo Houle
- Krists Neilands
Sports Director Steve Bauer says that the team’s main goal is to win a stage.
British rider Stevie Williams will be among the stage-hunters. He won Fleche Wallonne in April.
Fellow Brit Jake Stewart is there primarily as a lead-out man for sprinter Pascal Ackermann.
26-year-old Canadian Derek Gee was third in the Dauphiné. Although he talks about stage wins, he could perhaps hope for a high overall placing.
Israel the country has its own ethical problems, and will be regarded by many as an unsuitable title sponsor.