UAE refuse to give away Tour de France stages: ‘A win can make your career’

Two stage victories in six days and an enormous advantage in the general classification: Tadej Pogačar is already doing what Tadej Pogačar so often does at the Tour de France. The Slovenian world champion and UAE Team Emirates-XRG have been so dominant that plenty of cycling fans are already beginning to sigh, but the team itself sees no reason to apologise. Winning is winning, according to Pogačar’s teammates.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG won the first road stage in Barcelona, where Isaac Del Toro proved strongest after producing a devastating acceleration in the finale. The next day, it was Pogačar’s turn, with the Slovenian winning the sprint in Les Angles. Apart from UAE, only Visma | Lease a Bike, in the opening team time trial, Mads Pedersen on Stage 4 and Olav Kooij on Stage 5 had managed to win during the opening six days. On Stage 6, however, the world champion delivered another emphatic performance.

That took UAE’s total to three victories. Their success may not have come as a surprise, but some riders and observers have described Pogačar’s dominance as difficult to comprehend. Adam Yates sees things differently. “If you can win at the Tour de France, you have to do it,” the British rider explained to SBS. There isn’t a single person in this peloton who would think differently. A victory is never guaranteed, so you have to take every opportunity. Would you give stages away? I wouldn’t either.”

Gifts are rarely handed out at the Tour de France, although UAE did make an exception for one of their own earlier in the week. Pogačar allowed Del Toro to take the victory in Barcelona after the Mexican had ridden a superb finale for his leader. “I know how difficult it is to win at the Tour. I’ve only done it once,” said Yates, who won the opening stage of the 2023 Tour in Bilbao. “If you do win in the Tour, it can make your whole career. You always have to try. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.”

Waiting for another opportunity was never part of UAE’s plan. The team had identified Stage 6 as the moment to make its move. “We had planned the day to some extent and wanted to go fully on the offensive,” Nils Politt told RadSport-news. “Of course, we also looked at the weather forecast for the next few days. There isn’t much wind expected. Otherwise, tomorrow could have been a day for crosswinds and echelons. But there isn’t much wind in the forecast, so today we were able to leave all our strength out on the road.”

How have UAE Team Emirates-XRG managed to operate at such a consistently high level? Politt has witnessed first-hand how much professional cycling and race preparation have developed during recent years. “Preparation wasn’t as demanding in the past as it is now,” the experienced German explained. “They pay attention to everything: nutrition, weight, giving 100 per cent in training and riding fewer races before the Tour so that you arrive fresh.” “It was better in the old days,” Politt added with a laugh.