"It was a pleasure to follow him yesterday because he took practically perfect corners" - UAE still blown away by Tadej Pogacar
CyclingSunday, 23 August 2026 at 13:30
Joxean Fernández Matxín, sports director of UAE Team Emirates-XRG, dissected Tadej Pogacar’s spectacular debut at the Vuelta a España 2026. The Slovenian pulled on the red leader’s jersey after winning the opening time trial and once again showcased his immense ability on a particularly technical course.
At UAE they did not necessarily expect Pogacar to take the lead from day one. “You always start with the hope of winning, and if one of the riders who can win is called Tadej Pogacar, it’s always possible,” Matxín told Marca. However, he admitted the route raised doubts: “It’s true that such a technical prologue, so suited to specialists, gave us some question marks.”
The Slovenian’s performance cleared up any uncertainty. For Matxín, Pogacar did not just impose his extraordinary physical condition, he also delivered a true technical masterclass on the bike.
“In the end, Tadej’s quality shone and it was a pleasure, honestly. It was one of those days when he didn’t just apply his form and his performance as a super champion, but he drew perfect lines, a perfect descent without taking risks,” he stressed.
The UAE sports director was especially impressed by the way Pogacar handled the corners. “Technically he did... it was a pleasure to follow him yesterday because he took practically perfect corners,” he said.
Course knowledge, a clear advantage
One key to the win was Pogacar’s knowledge of the final part of the course. The Slovenian lives precisely in the area where that sector of the time trial ran and used that familiarity to make the difference.
“He knows it… in fact the final section, where he also gained the time because he was three seconds down at the intermediate, is the area where he has his apartment,” Matxín explained.
The Spanish directeur sportif believes that knowledge allowed him to take the corners with remarkable precision. “He knows it perfectly, and there he took truly fantastic corners. I don’t think many could match them, and I don’t think anyone did them better than him,” he asserted.
The result fully backed up his words. Pogacar overturned the deficit he had at the time check and ended the day in the red jersey on the opening day of racing.
Tadej Pogacar
The decision to race the Vuelta came after the Tour
Matxín also revealed when the decision for Pogacar to ride the Vuelta a España was finally taken. “After the Tour, 100% after the Tour,” he confirmed.
The sports director recalled that it was not the first time the Slovenian had planned to race in Spain. “I think three years ago he also had the Vuelta a España on his calendar from the start,” he explained.
On that occasion, they even prepared a video to announce his participation, but the Tour’s outcome changed the plan. “He didn’t finish the Tour in the best condition to tackle a Vuelta with guarantees and the necessary mental and physical solidity to take on another 21-day race, so we decided not to do it,” he recalled.
That is why UAE chose to wait until after the Tour before confirming Pogacar’s presence at the Vuelta. “Out of respect for the race, we have always taken the decision to say it after the Tour so we wouldn’t have to eat our own words,” Matxín noted.
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“It doesn’t depend so much on us”
Now the big question is whether UAE can defend the red jersey from Monaco to Granada. Matxín preferred not to frame that challenge as something that depends solely on his team.
“I think it doesn’t depend so much on us, honestly. I think we need to give important credit to our rivals,” he explained.
The UAE sports director believes the other teams will have plenty to say over three weeks of racing. “They will play an important role. If they obviously want to blow up the race or make it hard, there are very, very strong teams,” he warned.
He also pointed to several riders who could be prominent on the sprint-friendlier stages: Wout van Aert, Brennan, Mads Pedersen, Orluis Aular, Kaden Groves, and riders from Ineos.
“There are teams with fast men like Van Aert, like Brennan at Bismarck, like Pedersen at Lidl-Trek, like Aular, Movistar, Kaden Groves, Alpecin, Axel… riders at Ineos who could be more prominent than us on a stage like today’s,” he concluded.
Juan LarraCycling Journalist
Juan Larra is a writer for Cyclinguptodate and editor-in-chief of Ciclismoaldia, where he has played a central role since its inception. Under his leadership, the website has become a trusted source for professional cycling coverage, offering in-depth analysis, news, and feature stories.
A sports journalist with over 20 years of experience, Juan earned his degree in Journalism from the University of Seville in 2007. He began his career covering a wide range of sports—including football, basketball, Formula 1, MotoGP, tennis, and cycling—for platforms such as the official La Liga app, Vodafone and Movistar websites, NBA Blogdebasket, and Cadena Cope, honing his skills in writing and editorial management.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Juan contributes to Cyclinguptodate and serves as editor-in-chief for the tennis-focused site Tenisaldia. Throughout his career, he has conducted exclusive interviews with cyclists and sports figures, provided detailed analysis of competitions ranging from local Spanish races to major international events, and acted as a special correspondent at prestigious races including Paris-Roubaix, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.
Juan’s combination of experience, expertise, and direct access to athletes has established him—and the platforms he leads—as authoritative voices in professional cycling.
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- you certainly delivered!Ketterechts23-08-2026
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- 3-4 at best now and vastly declining which is the obvious concern i have here. Its clearly thats something is not right also they need to start buying superdomestiques for jonas so he can have some help going up against uae to just have 1% chance. but visma seem to be broke lets see if they can or not, lets hope they get some money coming inmiguel23-08-2026
- Hi @Ketterechts, I'm here. Hello, how are you? I'm great. Now here's may take: Those who say the Vuelta is already over have an IQ of room temp. Everything was already over in February 2024 when I announced the birth of the GOAT in all sports, not just cycling. If you're bored, don't watch. I'd rather watch Pogi than Real vs Barca. I'd rather watch Pogi than Messi or Ronaldo. The rest of you can cry, what else can I tell you? Have a nice day.PogiSloFans23-08-2026
- Hey Colnago-fan, those who say the Vuelta is already over have an IQ of room temp. Everything was already over in February 2024 when I announced the birth of the GOAT in all sports not just cycling. If you're bored, don't watch. I'd rather watch Pogi than Real vs Barca. The rest of you can cry, what else can I tell you?PogiSloFans23-08-2026
- Have faith Ruben. Something will turn up.Cyclingsbestfan23-08-2026
- Pogacar's versatility is like combining a defender, midfielder and striker into one player.Pogboom23-08-2026
- He clearly wanted pink for the whole Giro. I agree we could see him trying the same thing here. But that carries risk so I doubt it's a priority. Tadej will definitely go for the stage today though.Renz23-08-2026
- Every track is designed for Pogi! And you whine. ;)MajorPayne23-08-2026
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