"He is not sick" - UAE manager disregards suspicions of Tim Wellens' illness despite apparent symptoms
Cycling
UAE Team Emirates - XRG have a perfect hand; Tadej Pogacar comfortably leads the general classification while Isaac del Toro covers his back from third overall. However the third week has not started ideally for the Emirati team as illness seems to have found its way into the team bus.
The first signs were already visible on the course of stage 17. Despite a low intensity day for the peloton, Adam Yates and Tim Wellens finished in the bottom-five of the stage, 26 minutes behind stage winner Mads Pedersen and 15 minutes behind gruppetto of sprinters who struggled to keep up.
The situation has repeated one day later. Yates recovered somewhat, however Wellens finished dead-last, only two minutes ahead of the time limit. And Brandon McNulty abandoned the race with unspecific symptoms.
"Adam Yates has stomach problems. He had to vomit, but he was feeling better today. With Brandon, it’s different," team manager Joxean Matxín told WielerFlits after the stage about the American's decision to stop. "He has no fever, he doesn’t have corona, and he hasn’t delivered any positive health tests. But he does have symptoms, especially a sore throat."
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"Wellens is not sick"
The situation of Tim Wellens is not as severe, Matxin claims. According to the Spaniard, Wellens was simply saving his energy for the remaining three days.
"With Tim, it is different. He is not sick. After he had done his thing and was dropped, it was better to recover. Today was a breakaway stage in which we weren't going for the win. In that case, it is better to recover."
Tadej Pogacar at the Tour de France
The rider has other opinion
What makes Matxin's statement shocking is the contradiction to Wellens' own words after the stage. There, the Belgian rider made it clear that he's not feeling well - something supported by his hoarse voice.
Still, he's ready to give his best in favor of Pogacar and Del Toro. "In any other race, a person would give up, but you don't do that in the Tour. I am glad I made it to the finish," Wellens told Sporza afterwards.
Although he might not spend much time with Pogacar in coming days. To avoid spread of the illness which seems to have avoided the Slovenian for now. "Fortunately, Tadej is fine and I hope it stays that way. It is clear that there is illness present in the team, but it is great that Tadej has no problems."
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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