Tadej Pogacar risks losing the Tour de France to an invisible enemy - This is how UAE is tackling it
CyclingFriday, 24 July 2026 at 10:08
The Tour de France's brutality is taking a toll on its riders and UAE Team Emirates - XRG, who have dominated from start to finish, are perhaps having their roughest days. Ahead of the race's queen stage on Saturday, the team has lost Brandon McNulty whilst at least two other riders have come down with illness. Tadej Pogacar's Tour could go down the drain if he is a victim of the same symptoms, so how is UAE preventing this?
A disastrous few days for UAE
As the peloton entered the third week of the race, the situation became more dire for UAE. Adam Yates became ill and struggled to eat throughout the day where the peloton tackled stage 17, making it through the finish line with the support of Tim Wellens. Now on stage 18, Wellens himself just barely made it to the finish inside the stage's time limit.
The Belgian rider appears sick - although team DS Joxean Matxín looked keen on refusing that idea - but what can't be denied was that Brandon McNulty, overnight, has also come down with illness. Rather, the mix of the fatigue from the race, extreme heat, extended use of air conditioning and icy drinks created a constant stress on the body that the American's immune system could not withstand according to Wielerflits who spoke to Matxín.
The risk that an overnight collapse of either Tadej Pogacar or Isaac del Toro's health could bring the team's Tour down to the ground in a matter of a few hours. Hence the tight health protocols have been tightened even further, so as to prevent a last-minute disaster.
Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates - XRG at the 2026 Tour de France
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How are UAE doing this?
The exact orders and methods are not always known or made public, as most teams look to maintain the health of their riders in private so as to not influence rival team's tactics. UAE is likely to race these final days on the defensive, having previously already captured plenty stage wins and currently holding yellow and white jersey on their shoulders, and intend on keeping it that way.
Whereas riders typically share bedrooms overnight, that has now been changed and each rider is sleeping in their own separate room currently as this can be one of the main proponents of illness spreading.
The use of masks has also increased, something a few riders already take seriously since the start of the Tour, but something UAE perhaps has to put extra focus on now. Adam Yates was eating separate from his teammates on the day he got ill as well, so as to prevent that direct contact.
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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