"I hope he didn't suffer too much" - Pogacar and UAE fear losing Adam Yates from Tour de France
Cycling
A frantic stage 17 of the Tour de France tested UAE Team Emirates - XRG like few days before it. Isaac Del Toro was caught behind an early split, Adam Yates struggled with illness and lost contact with the peloton, while Tadej Pogacar briefly found himself isolated. Despite the setbacks, the yellow jersey's lead remained intact as Jasper Philipsen sprinted to victory from a reduced group.
Pogacar explains UAE's difficult afternoon
Stage 17 was raced at an exceptionally high pace from the opening kilometres, with repeated attacks from sprinters, classics riders and general classification contenders before a large breakaway finally established itself.
For UAE Team Emirates-XRG, the day quickly became complicated. Del Toro was caught behind an early split and needed a long chase to return to the peloton, while Adam Yates, who is suffering from gastroenteritis, eventually cracked and crossed the finish more than 26 minutes behind stage winner Jasper Philipsen with the support of teammate Tim Wellens.
The situation briefly left Pogacar without his usual support around him, but the Slovenian never appeared to be under real pressure. “I expected it to be difficult, with a big fight until after the climbs,” Pogacar said in a post-race interview. “The day was hard.”
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He explained how the decisive move eventually formed after the peloton split on a descent. “I don't think anyone would really have attacked at that moment. The peloton split on the descent, then we reached the bottom and that's where the breakaway was able to form. That's normal.”
Pogacar also revealed that Yates had still been feeling the effects of illness despite appearing to improve before the start.
“Adam was sick yesterday morning and he suffered. This morning he looked much better and was eating well, but when you have a bad day like yesterday, you pay for it later. I hope he didn't suffer too much and that he'll be better tomorrow.”
Adam Yates managed to finish stage 17 despite being sick
Del Toro eager to keep fighting
After spending several kilometres chasing back following the early split, Del Toro managed to rejoin the peloton thanks in part to a temporary truce among the general classification contenders at the front.
The Mexican remains third overall, just 20 seconds ahead of Paul Seixas, and continues to wear the white jersey heading into the final four days of the Tour. “I'm doing well. I'm approaching this third week with a lot of enthusiasm after the time trial.”
Del Toro said he is enjoying every moment of his debut Tour despite the challenges. “I'm looking forward to getting to Paris and enjoying this final week. I'm just like I was during the first week: I'm enjoying myself and trying to give my best every day.”
Satisfied with his position after more than two demanding weeks of racing, the 22-year-old suggested he could still race aggressively in the mountains. “After yesterday and the first two weeks, I'm happy to be in this position.”
Asked whether he was ready to attack during the decisive stages ahead, Del Toro smiled confidently. “Ready to attack? Yes, why not?”
Félix SernaCycling Journalist
Félix Serna is a writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2025. He covers professional cycling across both the men’s and women’s calendars, with a focus on UCI rankings, race developments, and rider performance. His work includes interview-based reports, liveblogs, and tournament coverage designed to provide clear, accurate context throughout the season.
In his reporting, Félix regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical reference. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies.
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- this is just stupid. you already have 23%, gravel is over the topabstractengineer03-11-2026
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- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
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