"Its not just Pogacar’s overwhelming dominance" - Spanish commentator on UAE's reasons for thriving

Javier Ares is one of Spain’s most seasoned and respected cycling journalists. With a long career in radio and television, he currently serves as a commentator on Eurosport alongside Alberto Contador, offering measured analysis, historical context, and a broad view of the international peloton.

In one of his latest breakdowns on his YouTube channel, Ares focused on Tadej Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates XRG, clearly identifying it as the team to beat this season, detailing both its potential and the nuances that will shape its collective performance.

For Ares, there is no doubt about the Emirati team’s status in today’s cycling: “It’s obvious we need to pause on UAE, since, besides coinciding with Jay Vine’s first victory, it means talking about the best team of the last two years.” He noted the impressive win counts—“81 two years ago, 97 last year”—but qualified their real significance: “The number is misleading, in the sense that it’s not truly the most important thing.” He stressed that 'quality matters far more than quantity', highlighting their control of races and the decisive weight of the Grand Tours.

A key theme of his reflection centers on the team’s sporting structure. Beyond Tadej Pogacar, Ares underlined that “what’s truly relevant about this UAE is its not just Pogacar’s overwhelming dominance, it’s the fact that around twenty riders on the roster are capable of winning.” Even so, he reiterated the need to reinforce the summit: “There are stars at the top, there are young riders who need to keep growing, but the tip of the pyramid needs a bit more strengthening, not only around Tadej Pogacar, but also around the other two riders expected to chase big targets.”

In that leadership distribution, Ares believes the calendar clearly sets the hierarchy. On Pogacar, he said he “has his goals absolutely defined,” with the key novelty being “his presence at the Tour de Suisse and the Tour de Romandie,” opening room and leadership in other World Tour races for Joao Almeida and Isaac del Toro. Of the Portuguese rider, he noted that “already with more than enough stripes,” he will lead at top-tier events such as Paris–Nice, Volta a Catalunya, the Giro d’Italia, and the Vuelta a España.

He also paid special attention to Isaac del Toro, positioning him as a strategic piece for the future: “At UAE they’re very clear that del Toro is the man who must take over from Pogacar.” Ares argued for a measured progression for the young Mexican and explained that “he will lead the team in four major, high-responsibility races,” highlighting his role at the UAE Tour and other one-week stage races before taking on bigger challenges.

His analysis did not avoid the team’s weak spots, particularly in the classics and sprinting. “There are no pure sprinters at UAE,” he admitted, although he stressed that does not prevent them from being competitive, pointing to riders such as Tim Wellens, Florian Vermeersch, or Nils Politt as solid options for those races. Overall, his diagnosis was clear: “UAE’s backbone has tremendous potential,” with a structure built to win Grand Tours and sustain dominance across the season.

Finally, Ares concluded that the team heads into the new campaign with a highly consistent core and few significant departures, reinforcing its status as the peloton’s benchmark: “A squad with a solid, excellently constructed structure,” once again set to deliver a season “absolutely packed with success.”

UAE delivered a very productive January 2026, with major wins in both stage races and one-day events. Jay Vine opened the year with authority by taking the overall at the Santos Tour Down Under, where he also won stage 2, banking top-tier WorldTour points. In Saudi Arabia, the AlUla Tour added another strong return, with Jan Christen claiming the overall and winning stage 5, while Igor Arrieta completed the podium in third and Kevin Vermaerke finished inside the top 15 on GC.

The team block also shone on the January European calendar, especially at the Mallorca races. António Morgado was one of the standouts, winning the Trofeo Calvià, finishing second at the Trofeo Serra Tramuntana, fourth at the Trofeo Andratx - Pollença, another fourth at the Trofeo Ses Salines, and eighth at the Clássica Camp de Morvedre. These results were backed by several notable placings at the Trofeo Ses Salines, with riders such as Herregodts, Cosnefroy, Sivakov, Soler, Großschartner, and Politt in the mix, confirming a solid, collective start to the season for UAE.