“Tadej, when are you attacking this time?” - Inside the UAE team bus as Pogacar’s Tour de France rivals brace for chaos

Nils Politt knows how much planning goes into a Tour de France stage with Tadej Pogacar. He also knows how quickly those plans can become flexible once the UAE Team Emirates – XRG leader sees an opening.

Politt will start his tenth consecutive Tour this weekend in Barcelona, and his third as one of Pogacar’s most trusted helpers. Since joining UAE in 2024, the German has become part road captain, part engine and part bodyguard for the defending champion, working for him through the classics, the Tour and the nervous terrain where positioning can matter as much as climbing legs.

Speaking to Sportschau before the 2026 Tour, Politt gave a glimpse of the dynamic inside the UAE bus when Pogacar’s attacking instinct is already part of the day’s discussion.

“In the stage meeting, everyone gets their task,” Politt said. “Although there are days when we already know anyway what is required of us, and then our sports director asks: Tadej, when are you attacking this time? Tadej then answers, of course. But sometimes during the race he also changes his mind based on the situation. That means you do not really need to develop a proper strategy for a day for him.”

Pogacar starts the Tour chasing a fifth yellow jersey, with Politt again among the riders tasked with keeping him out of trouble before the race reaches the moments where he can do the damage himself.

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The German’s own preparation has been built around that job: altitude work in Sierra Nevada, the Tour de Suisse and now a Barcelona start where the opening team time trial could immediately create gaps. Politt also arrives as German national time trial champion, giving UAE one of their key engines for the first major test of the race.

“My job is to help,” he said. “And specifically to help Tadej Pogacar, who in my eyes is currently the best professional cyclist in the world, the defending champion. For the other seven riders in my team, UAE Team Emirates – XRG, it is about keeping Tadej out of all the stress.”

That protection is not only about sheltering Pogacar from wind, crashes or positioning fights. Politt says the Slovenian is relaxed, funny and central to the atmosphere inside the team, but there are also moments when UAE have to stop their leader from taking unnecessary risks.

“Tadej also asks me for advice from time to time on tricky things,” Politt explained. “We sometimes have to rein him in when he wants too much, for example when he wants to get involved in a sprint. He should leave that alone, it is much too dangerous for a GC rider.”

Politt has lived that up close across two Tour-winning seasons with Pogacar. The 32-year-old was already a Tour stage winner and German road champion before joining UAE, but his current role has placed him inside one of the most dominant teams of the modern era. “I really enjoy the role of helper for the best rider in the best team in the world,” Politt said. “Especially because we are very often rewarded with victories from Tadej. It is simply nice to be there when a rider from your team wins the Tour.”

There are still occasional openings for UAE’s helpers, as Tim Wellens showed with a breakaway stage win last year, but Politt is clear about where the priority sits. His own ambitions now come through protecting Pogacar, controlling stages and using his power when the team needs it most.

“We cannot attack every other stage and sit in a breakaway,” he said. “Instead, we stay in the peloton and look after Tadej there. As a rider, you also cannot dance at 100 weddings. The main task is to support the man for the general classification.”

Pogacar’s dominance still leaves Politt reaching for the simplest explanation. Four Tour victories, the rainbow jersey, spring classics success and another run at yellow in 2026 have made even those inside UAE describe him as something outside normal comparison. “In sport, there are always these unexplained high-flyer phenomena,” Politt said. “Tadej is one of those phenomena. I can only marvel at it.”

Jonas Vingegaard remains the biggest threat. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader won the Giro d’Italia in May and returns to the Tour as the only rider in the peloton with two yellow jerseys won directly against Pogacar.

“He was outstanding at the Giro,” said Politt. “Now for him it is about recovering properly. Jonas has become much stronger overall in recent years, he has worked very hard on himself. It will not be easy to beat him. But Tadej has a huge reservoir of possibilities.”

Politt believes UAE have the strongest team in the race to support that range. Around Pogacar, the selection includes Adam Yates, Tim Wellens, Brandon McNulty, Florian Vermeersch, Felix Grossschartner, Isaac del Toro and Politt himself, with Del Toro’s Tour debut adding another major mountain card.

“With the Mexican Isaac del Toro, in his Tour debut, we have a phenomenal helper for the mountains,” Politt said. “Del Toro is only 22 years old, won the tough Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes in mid-June and, despite his helper role for Pogacar, can ride into the top five of the Tour general classification.”

The first test comes immediately in Barcelona. The team time trial suits Politt’s power, but it also gives UAE an early chance to place Pogacar ahead before the race opens into the attacks, instinct and improvisation his rivals know are coming.