"Jhonatan Narvaez dropped Jonas Vingegaard himself" - Matxin hails UAE's teamwork as Tadej Pogacar takes control of 2025 Tour de France

Joxeán Fernández Matxín has every reason to be smiling. Despite the criticism aimed at UAE Team Emirates - XRG in recent days, when it really mattered, the Emirati outfit once again proved themselves the strongest team in the peloton — perfectly positioning Tadej Pogacar to show exactly why he’s the best cyclist in the world.

The emphatic victory over Jonas Vingegaard and Team Visma | Lease a Bike was one Matxín reflected on during an appearance on El Partidazo de COPE. Asked how things had changed so dramatically in the space of 24 hours, he said: “In the end, it's always about race dynamics. When someone does something different, people act like that's how the whole Tour is going to play out."

"Yesterday, there was the crash. Today, the victory. I think the team has shown it can rally around Tadej in the best possible way," Matxin continues. "Jhonatan Narváez’s lead-out was immense. And Nils Politt once again controlled a break of 50 riders, never letting the gap grow beyond two minutes. Everyone deserves credit — from Nils who set the tempo early on, to Jhonatan who did the final job. Obviously, what Tadej produced today was a work of art.”

When asked whether Narváez’s fierce acceleration on the early slopes of Hautacam had been pre-planned, Matxín admitted it hadn’t — but that it led to an outcome beyond their wildest expectations: “Jhonatan had understood it that way, and Pogacar even told him, ‘I didn’t ask you to go that hard!’ But those are the situations you find in a race. The adrenaline takes over — it’s almost like sprinting."

"In fact, Jhonatan dropped Jonas himself, and that’s where Tadej opened up the gap — more than two minutes by the finish line," he continues. "It went better than we could have imagined. A two-minute margin on the first mountain stage? That wasn’t even in our most optimistic plans.”

Asked whether Pogacar has effectively sealed the Tour de France title, Matxín was cautious. He understood why outside observers might think it’s already over, given the Slovenian’s commanding lead of over three minutes on Vingegaard — but he urged restraint.

“If I were watching from the outside, I’d probably think the same. But from where I’m standing… well, you all saw what happened the day before with the crash. Just look at Joao Almeida — I’m sure he would’ve been right up there too," he concludes. "This year, it won’t be a procession to Paris. We have to stay cautious and show respect to our rivals. A lot can still happen. That said, outside opinions don’t influence anything inside the team.”