Defending champion Tadej Pogacar on Wednesday announced a low key build up to the 2021 Tour de France Grand Depart in Brittany in late June.

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Pogacar will race the Tour of Slovenia 9-13 June and the Slovenian national championships, avoiding classic Tour build up races the Criterium du Dauphine and the Tour of Switzerland.

Since winning the prestigious Liege-Bastogne-Liege at the end of April, the UAE leader has been under the radar with altitude training in Sestriere in Italy.

"I feel good and ready to aim for my next targets," the 22-year-old Pogacar told the UAE website.

"Last time I raced the Tour of Slovenia my teammate (Diego) Ulissi won it so UAE are the defending champions. I'm pleased to go back there. It's a race I'd dearly love to win."

Another Slovenian Primoz Roglic is on a two-month break from racing ahead of the same double ambition of Tour and Olympics.

The Tour de France starts June 26 while the Tokyo Olympics road race on the slopes of Mount Fuji takes place six days after the Tour finishes.