Can Tadej Pogaar win three jerseys again at the Tour de France?
Member Exclusive Become a member to unlock this story and receive other great perks. Sign In  Tadej Pogaar made history last summer by becoming the first rider since Eddy Merckx to win three different jerseys at the 2020 Tour de France. Last year, the Slovenian won the yellow, white, and polka-dot jerseys  the first time since Merckx won three of the main category jerseys in one Tour  when he won the yellow, polka-dot, and green jerseys in 1969. The only reason Merckx didnt win the best young riders jersey is that the category wasnt created until 1975. Pogaar also became only the ninth rider since World War II to win the Tour on his first try. Confirming yellow, of course. We hope to win the Tour de France again this year, Pogaar said earlier this season. The team is working well together and we believe we will be even stronger this year.  Stronger team for yellow jersey quest  UAE-Team Emirates bolstered its lineup during the winter to bring on some added firepower to help Pogaar defend yellow. Marc Hirschi and Rafa Majka are expected to line up June 26 in Brest, along with Brandon McNulty, whose strong spring campaign saw him emerge as one of the teams strongest riders. The young American said his helper role will see him push into the mountains as far as he can to protect Pogaar from attacks from Ineos Grenadiers, Jumbo-Visma, and the other challengers. We have the defending champ, and well be riding for him, McNulty said. Id love to help Tadej win another overall, and if I can go well in the time trials, then maybe if there is a chance for a stage, but that there are a lot of things that need to go right, so well see.  The happiest man in Slovenia this morning : @TamauPogi  Race leader before stage 3 #TourOfSlovenia  pic.twitter.com/ieFnaD0xdY  @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) June 11, 2021  If Pogaar wins another yellow, hed also win the best young riders jersey as well. At only 22, Pogaar could be winning that under-26 category for the next few years. And then theres the King of the Mountains jersey. Last year, Richard Carapaz led the competition until the final time trial, when Pogaar catapulted to yellow, and gained enough points to wear polka-dot as well. As a top climber chasing bonus seconds at the finish lines, its likely that Pogaar will be in the mix again for polka-dot even if the yellow jersey is the primary target. This years course, with only three major summit finales, should see Pogaar also close in the KoM competition, though it is rare to see the yellow jersey also win the polka-dot jersey. In fact, Chris Froome in 2015 became the only other yellow jersey winner to also win the climbers jersey since Merckx in 1970. Bernard Hinault in 1979 is the last yellow jersey to also win the green jersey in Paris. Pogaar has never won a points jersey in a major stage race since turning pro in 2019, though hes been close, including second in the 2019 Vuelta a Espaa. Last year, Pogaar was eighth in the points competition, though he earned less than half of the points of winner Sam Bennett. So for 2021, if Pogaar makes it to Paris, hell almost certainly be in the white jersey. The only young rider who could be in position to top him would be Sergio Higuita (EF Education-Nippo) because most of the other younger riders are either in helper roles or are not up to Pogaars level. And if Pogaar wins another yellow jersey, the white would come along with it. The King of the Mountains also seems unlikely but could happen, while the green will remain the domain of the stage-hunters and sprinters. For Pogaar and UAE-Team Emirates, winning the yellow jersey again is the top priority. The team wants to defend the Tour title  and make Pogaar the first back-to-back winner since Froome in 2015-2017  and erase any hint of an asterisk that might have come with a victory during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Anything else that might come along is simply a bonus.