UAE has a plan for Pogačar on the Tourmalet stage of the Tour de France, they just might not stick to it
CyclingWednesday, 08 July 2026 at 23:37
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Follow us on GoogleAt UAE Emirates-XRG, they expect Visma | Lease a Bike and Jonas Vingegaard to make a move in the sixth stage of the Tour de France. The general classification contenders will face their first mountain stage on Thursday. Plan A doesn’t seem to be to go all out with Tadej Pogacar right away, sports director Joxean Matxin told IDL Pro Cycling.
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The Slovenian world champion was already very active in the early days of the Tour. In Stage 2, he deliberately let Isaac del Toro take the stage win, only to win himself a day later on a punchy finish to claim the yellow jersey. He lost that jersey in Stage 4.
And so we’ve seen Pogacar in the spotlight for quite a few days now. The rival teams have every reason to believe that UAE will want to dominate Stage 6, with the Col d’Aspin, Tourmalet, and an uphill finish on the schedule. But according to sports director Joxean Matxin, that doesn’t have to be the case.
"In the opening stage, it will be a battle for the breakaway, and we'll see if there are any dangerous contenders for the general classification among them. Depending on that, you'll have to set the pace—or not. On the Tourmalet, we'll see a natural selection—the ideal place to see who climbs the best."
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Pogacar has already won one stage of this Tour de France
UAE Emirates-XRG counts on Vingegaard to lead the attack
After 106 kilometers, we’ll tackle the Col d’Aspin on Thursday—a 12-kilometer climb with a 6.5 percent average gradient. But it’s the Tourmalet, in particular, where Matxin expects the action to unfold. This legendary climb—17.2 kilometers long with an average gradient of 7.2 percent—has all the ingredients for a spectacular race.
However, that doesn't necessarily have to come from Pogacar. "I think we'll see an attack from Jonas Vingegaard there, to thin out the field. It will be an important climb," said Matxin, who could, in principle, let his team leader Pogacar follow.
After the Tourmalet and a long descent, we’ll finish uphill in Gavarnie-Gèdre, following a long stretch of over 18 kilometers at an average gradient of about 3 percent. It’s the ideal spot for Pogacar to use his explosive power to claim another stage victory, including 10 bonus seconds.
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Stage 6 of the Tour de France
Will Pogacar stick to the plan on Tourmalet?
It all sounds great, but is Pogacar really going to hold back and follow Vingegaard? Isn’t the Slovenian just going to go for it on the Tourmalet? Matxin can’t help but smile when we point out to him that plans at UAE don’t always seem straightforward and aren’t always followed.
"We have a plan every day, but it's true that the plan isn't set in stone. If Jonas suddenly loses teammates early on, or if there's a dangerous general classification contender in the breakaway, then we might have to pick up the pace after all."
"And you don't want scenarios like the ones we've seen in the past with Ben O'Connor or Sepp Kuss in the Vuelta a España, where minutes are lost and the general classification is turned upside down," said the Spanish team manager at UAE.
"If things don't go according to plan and Tadej says halfway through that he's feeling good, then everything could change. We have a plan for Stage 6 as well, just like we do for the rest of the stages. But whether or not Tadej attacks also depends on the moment and on his own judgment."
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Del Toro can dream of the Tour de France, but not out loud
UAE’s plans should also take Del Toro into account to some extent—he’s the stage winner from Day 2 and someone who’s very high in the overall standings. “Isaac is a great person and a great rider. He’s smart; he’s someone you really want on your team,” said Matxin.
The young Mexican isn't aiming for a general classification finish in his Tour debut. "In the Tour, the only goal for Tadej is the overall victory; everything else can come later. A general classification finish isn't a goal for Isaac, though he'll have to make his mark on the group of favorites."
And everyone knows: if Del Toro does well, he could very well stay in the standings and finish in the top ten in Paris. Just as the current yellow jersey holder, Torstein Traaen, suddenly received a head start of over 7 minutes in the standings on behalf of Uno-X Mobility during Stage 4.
UAE aren't worried about the Norwegian, but he could certainly aim for a top-ten finish. “We’ll see how long he keeps the yellow jersey. We saw last year in the Vuelta that he also took the leader’s jersey this way, before holding onto it for a long time and finishing in the top ten (ninth, ed.)."
"He's a good guy and a fighter. The Tourmalet will provide some answers in that regard, too."
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- - How many times has Pog actually worn yellow now? The article hints he’s lost count—anyone got the exact stat?robert6506-07-2026
- - Unreal start to the Tour: two punches in three days. If he’s taking yellow this early, the real game is load management before the first true summit finish.davidm06-07-2026
- - Grandissimo Tadej! Maillot jaune meritato, squadra perfetta oggi.sprocketspiny06-07-2026
- - Not sure I buy the “nothing really tough” description. 3,850m of climbing in that heat is brutal, even if the gradients aren’t HC. Felt a bit dismissive.cadencekingm06-07-2026
- - Pogacar’s humour about the gels was gold. Also, nice to see him credit Del Toro. That Barcelona gesture coming back today was a proper team arc.michael5406-07-2026
- - Quick question: when they say “break got a free pass” by Visma, does that mean Visma just stopped chasing completely? Or is it more like they eased but still controlled the gap?velodromevirtuoso106-07-2026
- - Sorry, but the piece glosses over how Vermeersch shredded the gap. That was the hinge of the stage. Give him more credit than a single line.raceready706-07-2026
- - Two seconds on a 200m kick says it all. Vingegaard looked glued, but not enough punch yet. Heat management + gels every 30 minutes clearly dialed.andrewf06-07-2026
- - What a statement from Pog! Del Toro’s launch was textbook. You could see UAE-XRG had zero interest in gifting the break any hope today.jennifer1906-07-2026
- - ¿Habrá abanicos con ese viento noroeste? Si se parte el pelotón en los llanos antes de Quillan, adiós a muchos sprinters.patriciaw06-07-2026
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