"On the Tourmalet 'boo-hoo' everyone was shouting" - Tim Wellens says fans turning against UAE amid Tour de France domination
CyclingTuesday, 14 July 2026 at 10:50
Tim Wellens has said that he experienced fans and spectators booing him and his UAE Team Emirates - XRG teammates during the Tour de France. Amid the team and Tadej Pogacar's dominance, there has been growing criticism of their team tactics and the gap between Pogacar and the rest of the bunch.
The latest commentary has revolved around UAE controlling stage 9 of the Tour, keeping a breakaway with little general classification danger at striking distance, thus discouraging attacks and potentially snuffing out a breakaway stage.
In the end, the breakaway held on by a matter of seconds as Lidl-Trek and INEOS reeled in the gap. Wellens explained that the reason behind him and Felix Großschartner pushing at the front of the bunch was to stop Lidl-Trek from attacking and thus expanding their lead in the teams classification.
"The main goal was to prevent a number of Lidl-Trek riders from getting away," Wellens explained.
"Felix and I were able to keep the gap around a minute quite easily. We got the signal from the support car that we could push a bit harder. But we thought that would be a waste, because we were already keeping it under control easily enough."
Wellens understands frustration from other teams
The Belgian understands the frustration from other teams who hoped the peloton would have nothing to do with the breakaway fight for the stage win. However, from his perspective, UAE aren't too bothered.
"As a rider in a lesser team, I wouldn't like to see a race completely controlled by the competition either. But otherwise: zero f***s given.”
While criticism has came from other teams and sports directors, Wellens explained that fans have also let riders know their frustrations as he claimed he experienced booing during stage 6's Tourmalet stage - dominated by Pogacar. Although annoying for him, he sees it as a signal of their success.
He said: "Just last Thursday, on the Tourmalet 'Boo-hoo' everyone was shouting. We see the frustration in many people, but we don't understand it. Not very pleasant, even a bit annoying. But anyway, we often laugh about it. It means we are doing something right.”
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Wellens said fans would have a different perspective had they witnessed the hard work Pogacar put in at altitude training in May and June, claiming some of his training performances were better than his stage 6 masterclass.
Wellens added: "Everyone who was with him on Sierra Nevada knows everything he did there. And some aspects of that were even more impressive than his raid over the Tourmalet and Gavarnie."
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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- I'll never not be convinced that UAE aren't on something...
leedorney14-07-2026 - 😁leedorney14-07-2026
- Thanks Thomas may i suggest you tell other teams how to ride or perhaps give the special stuff to help that you used to be in the peleton may make them go faster or give them Dutch courage 🤣🤣🤣paultryan200214-07-2026
- Well, if you look at past winners, the percentage is pretty shocking and from having learnt about human nature, I’d find it VERY hard to believe suddenly everyone (especially people wanting/needing money) has lost interest in discovering new enhancement products and selling them. Now, apart from suspicion, what else happened each time in the past when something undetectable was introduced? Exactly, nothing.Jumpyjohn14-07-2026
- Pretty good points Some more, 90% of the sport watching population has their main vacation time around July/August, it is why almost ALL major sports events (except ice/snow dependant obviously) have been, are, want and will be programmed then. Hardly anyone will take time to follow a Tour around during work time and if the stages take place during work hours, no media is going to pay top dollar for the privilege of live coverage. Now, if somebody would like to remind the likes of Tadej and the Union spokesperson that it’s likely their demands would lead to quite a drastic reduction in rider salaries, I’m not so sure they’ll stay as vocal with their « solutions ». I’m still ride in these temps (it’s actually more refreshing than sitting around outside), alone and without getting paid and certainly no slower than during normal temps (in fact, some days it feels like it’s easier to be fast in these temps) or having serious goals, the hard part is the first couple of days but you quickly get used to it and as long as you adapt hydration and avoid consuming anything nefarious, nothing happens. We’re going to get to the point of telling pro swimmers to stop in heatwaves because there’s an increase in drownings. Speaking of cooling down methods, maybe some of these are as dangerous as the heat itself. Many people drown from the reactions we have to thermal shock, jumping into cold water after being hot. Yet what are teams doing with ice packs and cryobaths? Maybe, again, it’s all about how resilient and experienced individuals are, no scandinavian would worry about sauna/ice bath consequences, but that doesn’t mean everyone should copy them without some initiation? Same with pros, no point to consider their fragilities similarly to the general population.Jumpyjohn14-07-2026
- Dear UAE Please stop being better than everyone else....... doubt this would be an issue if it were a Dutch, Belgian, French or Italian team.. old cycling just can't stand the newslappers6614-07-2026
- Yeah, but I've heard cycling fans say, if Pogi was in team Visma, he would already be a 6X Tour winner, this year he would be "fighting" for his 7th Tour. What do you think about that?mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales14-07-2026
- The 'problem' (for lack of a better word) is the grand tours are all in Europe, so if you shift the TDF, then the Giro or Vuelta (depending on which way they shift the calendar) will then have to be held in the heat. There are also many other races, so the calendar is quite packed and there's not much room to shift. I think it's just something they have to put up with unfortunately. Us cyclists are tough and ride in most weather conditions and the pros are even tougher, so I think this is just more of a "discussion point of the day" and we'll all move on tomorrow to discuss something else haha (24hr news cycle etc).Pogboom14-07-2026
- Can i get an amen up here. We certainly do have a Pogi 1.0 and a Pogi 2.0.
Andrew14-07-2026 - You watch too many moviesAndrew14-07-2026
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