Tadej Pogacar was one of the favourites for the UAE's stage 2 time-trial, but he came home third behind Joshua Tarling and Stefan Bissegger. Like on the opening day, it's a glimpse of the Slovenian's 'human' side, but he is happy with his performance and already begins to carve out of a lead to his GC rivals.
"First real effort of the year, bit longer effort, first proper all-out... I'm happy, it was a pretty fast time-trial and I'm happy with the speed and the legs. Of course I blew the legs, that's the whole point of an all-out effort," he said in a post-race interview.
Due to the weather conditions and the atypical starting order rules in the Emirati race, Pogacar was one of the early started on the day, and for a few minutes was on the hot seat. However it didn't last long, as the two riders that would improve on his time would come out right after.
"It was a good day, let's see what will be the end result but it's always going to be tough to compete against Tarling and Bissegger because they're really good in this kind of course". In the pan-flat time-trial Pogacar was not in his element, and ended third on the day, 18 seconds down on Joshua Tarling who is also the new race leader. The UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider has however gained 21 seconds on Pello Bilbao, potentially the first of the major podium contenders on this race.
It is a solid day then, and the Slovenian will enter the first mountain stage of the race already ahead of his rivals - however the non-steep ascent of the Jebel Jais may prove to be excellent ground for Joshua Tarling to hold on until close to the finish.
"Tomorrow is a very nice stage for me in Jebel Jais, good memories, one time I won there and as I say always it's a day for sprint of the climbers," he continues. "Always there's a sprint between climbers and it's funny to see, a good experience. There can be surprises, I'm really looking forward to it because it suits me very well".
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With the final rider across the line in the #UAETour ITT, @TamauPogi placed third on stage 2 🥉
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) February 18, 2025
Tadej finished the 12.2km-long course with an average speed of 55.4kph, whilst @JayVine3 rounded out a positive day for the team in fourth 👏🏻
Tomorrow, it’s Jebel Jais 📈 #WeAreUAE pic.twitter.com/IWKGLrj0E4
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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