"All our attention is focused exclusively on Tour" - Joxean Matxín denies Tadej Pogacar's confirmed start at La Vuelta
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar lost the yellow jersey on the sixth stage of the Tour de France 2025. As the race unfolded, it seemed more of a tactic and a relief than a shame. One of the top UAE Team Emirates - XRG officials spoke about it after the stage.
Joxean Matxin was asked at the end of the day: "The defense of the yellow jersey during the stage depended on the development of the race. If we saw that it would be difficult to keep it, the intention was to control the effort, because the Tour de France is a long race. A breakaway was formed in which the best placed rider was Mathieu van der Poel. Although he's a top cyclist, he's not a threat to the general classification."
He congratulated Van der Poel and was satisfied for UAE's interests: "He took the lead by one second, which is circumstantial, but certainly merit on his part. The race conditions indicated that, if there was no real risk from the breakaway, the most sensible thing to do was to manage energy. It was a demanding day, and we tried to save our strength. The result was positive for both Van der Poel and our team."
He then focused more on Pogacar, knowing what they will have to do over the three weeks to control the race and not let it get out of hand: "We have the main favorite for the final victory in this Tour, and that means taking responsibility when circumstances require it."
Finally, he responded to emerging rumors that the Slovenian will compete at the Vuelta a España: "There is no official confirmation that Tadej Pogacar will participate in La Vuelta. At the moment, all our attention is focused exclusively on the Tour de France."
However, Mauro Gianetti, UAE boss, said that same morning that La Vuelta is on the 26-year-old rider's program.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
- Martinez had a good year! 5th at the Tour was a great result for him, albeit largely through getting in successful breaks, but he held it better than Pidcock who’d done the same.Lozza14-11-2026
- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
- Pogacar has a fine head on his shoulders.Careful investments and a couple of coffee shops sounds like a wonderful way to chill after an intense career.Stay healthy GOAT.
Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
- I live in Ljubljana and often go on trips in the surrounding area, where I frequently see young cyclists in 'Pogi Team' jerseys training, either alone or in groups. By simply motivating so many young people to take up cycling, Tadej has already achieved something truly significant.Velijo14-11-2026
- That's an excellent point. It's interesting that Vader came to that realization only after he learned that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
santiagobenites14-11-2026 - Indeed! A reluctant gift maybe. Even more reluctant gift from Roglic! Tho I can’t see that Rog would have beaten Ving anyway.Lozza14-11-2026
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