"All our attention is focused exclusively on Tour" - Joxean Matxín denies Tadej Pogacar's confirmed start at La Vuelta

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.