UAE Team Emirates manager Joxen Fernandez, aka "Maxine," believes Team Ineos is headed to the 2020 Tour de France as the team to beat.Tuttobiciweb reports (opens in new tab) says that Maximin felt that this year's team is not as strong as the previous season, when it won seven out of eight French Grand Tours.

"This is probably the year they are not very strong," Maxxin told Tuttobiciweb. As the Spanish proverb goes, "In a flooded river, the fishermen win. Let's see. I'm no magician, but looking at what they are saying, it's clear that everyone is trying to make room for themselves. Froom is a four-time winner and demands respect. Bernal is the last winner and demands respect. Thomas has been a winner and a second place finisher.

Team Ineos is expected to start this Tour de France with three potential winners: defending champion Egan Bernal, four-time winner Chris Froome, and 2018 champion Geraint Thomas.

Froome and Thomas are reportedly training together high in the French Alps, despite reports that Froome may move to another team mid-season. Bernal is scheduled to travel from Colombia to Europe on July 19 on a chartered flight to Madrid.

UAE Team Emirates has already finalized some of its riders for the Tour de France, including Fabio Al, Tadej Pogacar, Davide Formolo, David de la Cruz, and Alexander Christophe Matxin told Tuttobiciweb that the remaining team will also include Jan Polanc, Sven-Erik Byström, and Marco Marcato, he said.

UAE Team Emirates, in announcing the initial rosters for the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and Vuelta a España, said the team has a "balanced mix of climbers, sprinters, and versatile stage hunters."

The 21-year-old Pogacar finished third overall in the 2019 Vuelta a España and was announced as one of the contenders for the Tour de France, but the Slovenian rider said it was too early to consider his GC result in the September event.

"I hope to be well prepared and I will do everything I can, but I can't start talking about the results," Pogacar told Cycling News.

Matzin compared Pogacar to another young and talented pro, Lemko Evenpoel, saying they are the future of pro cycling.

"He and Evenpoel are the future. Taddei is a rider who gets stronger every day and is unique in the world. He has monstrous resilience and an incredible head. He has the legs of an apprentice and there is so much room for improvement. He has respect for everyone, including his staff. And he has values as a person."

UAE Team Emirates to compete in the 2020 Tour de France: Fabio Al, Tadej Pogacar, Davide Formolo, David de la Cruz, Alexander Christophe, Jan Polanc, Sven-Erik Bystrom, Marco Marcato