"We want to win with Pogacar and fight for Isaac" - Matxin confirms UAE Team Emirates- XRG's Tour de France priorities ahead of final week
CyclingMonday, 20 July 2026 at 20:00
With Tadej Pogacar closing in on a fifth Tour de France after Jonas Vingegaard’s withdrawal, UAE Team Emirates-XRG are already looking beyond the yellow jersey. The team’s major target now is to place Isaac del Toro on the final podium in Paris as well, Joxean Fernández Matxín told EFE.
The Mexican, just 22, is riding the best spell of his still short career. On his Tour de France debut he sits third overall, a result that would confirm his full arrival among the peloton’s elite if he holds it to the end.
UAE’s sports director, Joxean Fernández ‘Matxín’, was explicit about the team’s priorities for the final week of racing. “Win the Tour and, if there’s leeway, fight for Isaac.”
The strategy was already evident on the stage to Plateau de Solaison, where Pogačar not only tightened his grip on the lead but also helped improve Del Toro’s position on general classification. The Mexican is chasing the podium in only his third Grand Tour, after finishing runner-up at the Giro d’Italia last year.
For Matxín, Del Toro’s most dangerous rival isn’t ahead but right behind. The UAE director believes Paul Seixas will be the Mexican’s key opponent for third place and for the white jersey of best young rider.
Isaac del Toro, a star of world cycling
Paul Seixas the main threat to podium
The Frenchman, only 19, is delivering an exceptional Tour on his Grand Tour debut and has shown the poise to compete with the world’s best climbers. After losing some time on the last mountain day, Seixas made clear he is not giving up. “I’ve lost some time and the white jersey, but I’m still in the fight for the podium.”
All signs point to the duel between Del Toro and Seixas being one of the highlights of the Tour’s final week and the start of a rivalry that could shape the coming years.
Although Del Toro still has Remco Evenepoel ahead of him, UAE see it as very difficult to reach second place. The Belgian holds close to a minute in hand, has a favourable time trial, and showed clear improvement in the high mountains during the second week.
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The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe leader also has the support of Florian Lipowitz, who now seems fully committed to a deluxe domestique role after early doubts over the team’s leadership. Among the podium contenders, Juan Ayuso cannot be ruled out either. He remains relatively close to Del Toro and now faces terrain far better suited to his strengths.
The Lidl-Trek leader hits the final week with a very solid structure, although the team is also chasing another major target: the points classification with Mads Pedersen, which could shape parts of their strategy.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG know what it takes to place two riders in the Tour’s top three. They did it in 2023, when Adam Yates finished third overall.
That edition, however, ended with Jonas Vingegaard’s victory. Now the outlook is even brighter for the Emirati squad: Pogacar has the yellow jersey all but secured and the team believe Isaac del Toro can join him on the Paris podium, sealing one of the formation’s biggest collective successes in recent years.
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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- Tadej has gifted two stages so far so could be on six wins already.Renz21-07-2026
- We'll never know, but what evidence?... an anonymous phone tip from some rabid Seixas fan? Certainly not a team car full of dope and paraphernalia or a bunch of used syringes in a trash bag at the race finish.mrvco21-07-2026
- True. If you going to test for doping though, between two tough mountain stages is the right time to test beacuse that is when they might need it most.
Andrew21-07-2026 - cycling has been dirty forever, really not sure why no one is giving the testers the benefit of the doubtwhkman21-07-2026
- None of us really know what goes on behind closed doors but it is very suspicious to wake these riders up the day before a big mountain stage while they are still recovering from the mountain stage the day before. I have to go to bed, it's almost 2am lolawp21-07-2026
- And you’re free to believe that as I am free not to believe it regardless of who my neighbours or work colleagues support.Andrew21-07-2026
- And you know that how? Did Pog call you, message you?Andrew21-07-2026
- being reported that as many as 8 teams were tested at late hours and from Benjamin Cohen, head of ITA in April: “I don’t think you would want to do mass testing at the Tour de France, for example, and wake up all the athletes at 3am — that doesn’t make sense. I think you would need to have very concrete suspicions (about an athlete) and use that in a very cautious manner. “I wouldn’t advocate for mass night testing, but certainly for some flexibility if you believe that there is an issue.” so really doesn't seem like he's crazy about testing and thinks they should need evidence for late night testing. and here we are, they went to a judge and got the ok so I think they have credible evidencewhkman21-07-2026
- "a bit much" is an understatement.whkman21-07-2026
- UAE will suffocate Remco in the big mountains !frieders321-07-2026
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