"Tadej Pogacar has definitely taken the wind out of a lot of people's sails" - Michael Woods admits Tour de France peloton affected by UAE dominance

Not for the first time in recent years, the Tour de France of 2025 has been one dominated by Tadej Pogacar and his UAE Team Emirates - XRG teammates over the first two weeks. Whilst their riding has been undoubtedly impressive, for breakaway chasers and stage hunters like Michael Woods, it's also been quite stifling.

"Tadej Pogacar has definitely taken the wind out of a lot of people's sails," admits the Canadian former stage winner in comments to Cycling News. "In race meetings, before the stage, now we say you'll need four or five minutes at the base of a climb in order to hold him off."

The problem with that, is that Pogacar’s UAE teammates rarely allow for such a big gap to the break. And when they do, as on stage 15, they have someone in their of their own to take the win as Tim Wellens did.

Still though, Woods isn't about to give up hope as the 2025 Tour de France enters its final week of action. "Look at what Thymen Arensman did, it gives you hope," explains the Israel - Premier Tech star. "You've just got to keep trying and do what he did, go deep and hope for the best."

And with the polka-dot jersey still also a potential target for Woods, the Canadian is determined to make a success of this Grand Tour. "I want to succeed, and there are some opportunities left to me; I have x-es on the calendar," he confirms in conclusion. "I was up there with Lenny Martinez on the Ventoux [in the CIC-Ventoux race in 2023], he took me out in the sprint, it was a shortened version of it because of high winds. But I know it well and it'd be an iconic stage to take a win."