Two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogachar will compete in both the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España this year.

The leader of UAE Team Emirates has never competed in two Grand Tours in one season, but will take that step this year after making his career debut at the Tour de Flanders this spring.

Pogachar burst onto the Grand Tour racing scene at the 2019 Vuelta a España, where he won three stages and finished third overall behind compatriot Primoš Roglic (Jumbo Visma), who has won the last three Vueltas.

After Pogachar won back-to-back Tours in 2020 and 2021 and confirmed that the Giro d'Italia was not in his plans for this season, the 23-year-old admitted he would compete in his second Grand Tour in 2022 in Spain on August 18.

"I want to be in two Grand Tours this year, the Tour and the Vuelta," Pogachar told the media at a team training camp in Spain. I don't know what will happen throughout the season, but that's what I want."

"The Vuelta was my first Grand Tour and I finished third. It's a really good memory and I want to relive that memory."

Pogachal's spring campaign will once again begin with a tour of the UAE.

He then makes his debut at the Tour de Flanders, but is dismissive of his qualities as a one-day race leader, instead citing classics specialists like Matteo Trentin, saying that conquering cycling's five monuments He acknowledged that it could be a long-term goal. He plans to compete in every race this year except Paris-Roubaix.

He said that his challenge in Flanders will focus on gaining experience racing on cobblestones in preparation for the Tour de France.

"It's a new challenge for me and it will definitely help me for the Tour de France and the cobblestones. 'To get an idea of the roads and the cobblestones. I can do some scouting after the race and the experience that comes with that.

"I'm very excited to be racing in Flanders, I'm going for four monuments, but that doesn't mean I'm focused on winning them all. In the future I want to try for all the monuments."

While Pogachar broadened his racing goals, the UAE Team Emirates team was also strengthened. George Bennett moved from Jumbo Visma, while João Almeida and Marc Soler also joined from rival teams.

Pascal Ackermann and Alvaro Hodeg added depth to the sprint group, but it is young Juan Ayuso who is emerging. Joining the team midway through last year, many expect the 19-year-old to make an immediate impact on the WorldTour. Ayuso and Pogachar have been training together for the past few days, and the Slovenian is pushing his Spanish teammate as a top player.

"Ayuso will already be super strong this year. He is motivated and already has big goals in mind. If he gets a chance this year, I think he will seize it and show what he is capable of."

Pogachal admits that he cannot maintain the rate of growth of the past few years, but still wants to improve. Hence, he and the UAE have decided to target consecutive Grand Tour appearances for the first time in his already illustrious career.

"Every year I make less progress, but that doesn't mean I'm less motivated.

"I still want to improve every year, but I know it's impossible to do that every season. So far I've gotten better every year and that's my motivation. You never know when you're going to stop pushing the watts more than the season before."