Pogacar skips UAE Tour defence and shuffles early-season calendar

MONTREAL QUEBEC SEPTEMBER 11 Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and UAE Team Emirates celebrates winning during the 11th Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal 2022 a 221km one day race from Montreal to Montreal GPCQM WorldTour on September 11 2022 in Montreal Quebec Photo by Dario BelingheriGetty Images
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) (Image credit: Getty Images)

Tadej Pogačar has changed his early-season race programme and will not defend his overall victory at the UAE Tour this month, instead opting for a less intense season debut in Spain.

The two-time Tour de France winner will make his season debut in the Clásica Jaén Paraíso Interior one-day race that includes gravel sections on 13 February and then ride the Vuelta Ciclista Andalucia - Ruta del Sol between February 15-19. 

Stephen Farrand
Head of News

Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.