Pogačar and Del Toro shocked by sick UAE and McNulty's withdrawal: 'We need a strong team on Saturday'

Tadej Pogacar and Isaac del Toro have not yet been affected by the illness sweeping through UAE Emirates-XRG, but with three of the eight riders sick, the two general classification contenders know they need to be careful. With two more mountain stages leading to Alpe d'Huez still on the schedule, both riders analysed the situation at UAE as they head toward Paris.

Before the start of Stage 18, Pogacar had made a lighthearted comment about the illness within his team. “I think there’s a greater chance of getting sick if I’m talking to you guys here,” he said. Still, the Slovenian was naturally shocked by Brandon McNulty’s withdrawal and Tim Wellens finishing last in Thursday’s stage.

"Unfortunately, we're losing Brandon to illness; we wish him a speedy recovery. Hopefully he'll be back on his feet for the afterparty in Paris," Pogacar joked cheerfully during the organization's flash interview. Then, on a more serious note: “It’s a shame we’re losing him, because he’s been so valuable to us so far.”

With Adam Yates and Tim Wellens, there are still two riders in the team who are ill, although the Briton already showed signs of improvement in Stage 18. “Adam is getting better and didn’t have to go all out yesterday or today. Tomorrow is also a good stage for him to recover a bit more, and I hope to have him back on Saturday. That’s a stage where you need a strong team.”

Still, Pogačar also knows that he doesn’t have much control over how fit his teammates will be in the final stages of the Tour de France. “If the situation stays this way and the guys don’t get any better, then you don’t know what to do. Then you race more on instinct, but I think we’ll manage as a team over the next two days.”

Pogačar described Stage 18 as “a fairly calm day,” although the attackers and general classification teams riding for a top-ten finish were pushing hard all day. Del Toro, too, stayed fairly quiet in the peloton. “We knew it would be a tough day and that attacks would come early. It’s a real shame for us that we lost Brandon. He had a tough day.”

The third-place rider remained positive: “I have a lot of respect for Brandon; he’s the one who put us in this situation. He’s a great guy, and I wish him all the best. Of course, this situation isn’t ideal—we would have liked to have a full team. But we need to stay positive; we’re in a good position, and if everyone stays strong, everything will work out.”