"It adds up, I've said it many, many times" - UAE sent warning as Johan Bruyneel points out danger of aggressive stage 3 tactics
CyclingTuesday, 07 July 2026 at 11:08
UAE Team Emirates are on top of the cycling world after taking two stage victories in the Tour de France, but one vital warning should be heeded if they don't want to come crashing back down.
Isaac del Toro and Tadej Pogacar have enjoyed a Tour bonanza as the Slovenian took the yellow jersey following a stage win on Monday, following up del Toro's stage 2 win on Sunday.
But analysing stage 3, Johan Bruyneel had a word of caution rather than praise for UAE, noting the physical toll controlling the race can have on their team and leaders Pogacar and Del Toro.
Tim Wellens put in a solid display ahead of the finale of the stage as he went to work, controlling the gap to the breakaway and helping real in the attackers before a closing push saw Pogacar lined up for victory.
Bruyneel notes Tim Wellens' pain face
Bruyneel pointed out Wellens' clear suffering and pain faces in the Tour heat, noting that the team must be changing tactic for Tuesday's stage 4 by focusing on recovery and not controlling affairs.
"Tim Wellens, putting an amazing pUll, like a very long pUll, I mean, his face was the suffer face," Bruyneel said on The Move after stage 3.
"You know, stages like this, and if you take that decision to go for the stage win, and you know you have to control the whole stage without any help, you may feel, as you may say, okay, fine, you know, we win the stage, we have a day to recover tomorrow. It's a recovery day."
However, Bruyneel suggests that there's a bill to be paid later down the road as he preached patience and restraint from UAE.
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Pogacar needs to manage teammates' effort
Noting that it's not only his opponents that will tire, Pogacar too needs to be mindful of the effort put in by his teammates so as to preserve them for later in the race.
"It adds up. It adds up, I've said it many, many times, and I'm going to keep saying it, and I don't care if it's modern cycling or old fashioned cycling," he said.
He concluded: "Stage win, stage racing, a grand tour, you have to be with the calculator in your back pocket, not just for yourself, for your teammates."
Tuesday's stage 4 does offer a slight reprieve for the peloton, but with plenty of hills and climbing, there's still a lot of chances for riders to attack and opportunities for fast men to cling on in hopes of reaching a finish line sprint.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- Yes Weather experts predict the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) during Stage 4 of the Tour de France could reach peaks between 30° C and 33° C. The index calculates heat stress by measuring ambient temperature, humidity, wind, and solar radiation. This stage falls into the UCI’s "Red Zone" (extreme high risk) because it exceeds 28° CJakob07-07-2026
- I should point out that the world cup is going beautifully in the USA and nobody is hating it. Trump may be an idiot, but he is our problem, not yours. And regarding Israeli behavior, explain to us how Europe made the creation of modern Isreali state a necessity?? I thought so.dave07-07-2026
- Not bad at all for what is considered his weak point. With him being in the leanest condition ever, he should really excel in the high mountains when the gc contenders are isolated.
Front24207-07-2026 - Y A W N. How old are you? You sound like a teenage girl in the midst of her first true love crush. Are younot embarrassed by your public infatuation with Pogi? Not surprising you keep hiding a new alias every time you get banned, must be so tiring.
Andrew07-07-2026 - > UAE have three riders inside the top five overall, with Pogacar leading, Del Toro fourth and Ayuso fifth Ah, yes. Ayuso may have donned a different team jersey, but he never left UAE. UAE is in his heart no matter where he goes.
KerisVroom07-07-2026 - Well, as I already said in reply to you, he's not riding for GC this tour so he's probably intentionally shipping some time so he can get in the breaks.antipodeanpedalfan07-07-2026
- For once I agree with you. That 'You like the glory, don't you' line would have been derided in any other sport. And as Pog said, every rider dreams of that. Jonas seemed to enjoy being feted in Denmark after his Tour wins, and why shouldn't he. Top athletes shouldn't be shamed for that.Hills3307-07-2026
- More likely dreaming of retirement now!Hills3307-07-2026
- What about Pogi's interview yesterday, after the race. The BS french interviewer right after the finish asking Pogi: "you're hungry?" and "do you like the glory?" to which Pogi replied: "I want to go ride the rollers now"... translation: "GFY" ("Go f* yourself"). The problem with the french journalist is, Pogi isn't like Lance; he is well-liked by the peloton. So they don't have the juicy story to tell. The french TdF media just want to make up a conspiracy theory. I'm tired of reading/listening to stupid interviews. Why don't they ask something more substantial? It's a race. The goal of racing is winning. Whether it's a stage, the overall, the sprint or whatever. Suddenly, when Pogi wins a stage, he commits a mortal sin. As a fan, I want to see the best rider wipe out everyone. It's up to his rival to make him earn every single win. Maybe they need to start making themselves more versatile instead of just focusing on losing weight and having boring races. This is partly the reason why Pogi looked so annoyed last year in the final week. He was sick, hurt his knee and on top of all that the media were asking him these dumb questions daily. How many times does he have to tell you that he's being payed to win races and he's obligated to finish off the work of the whole team. After his team worked for 100km in this stage what exactly is he supposed to do? Roll over and say: "well, you guys can have this win, I'm just gonna chill here." Idiots...mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales07-07-2026
- The BS french interviewer right after the finish telling Pogi "you're hungry" and "you like the glory" to which Pogi replied "I want to go ride the rollers now"... translation "GFY ("Go f* yourself"**). The problem with the french journalist now is, Pogi isn't like Lance; he is well-liked by the peloton. So they don't have the juicy story to tell. The french TdF media just made up a conspiracy theory. I'm tired of reading/listening to stupid interviews. Why don't they ask something more substantial? It's a race. The goal of racing is winning. Whether it's a stage, the overall, the sprint or whatever. Suddenly, when Pogi wins a stage, he commits a mortal sin. As a fan, I want to see the best rider wipe out everyone. It's up to his rival to make him earn every single win. Maybe they need to start making themselves more versatile instead of just focusing on losing weight.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales07-07-2026
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