"The best defense is a great attack" - Tactics made simple for UAE with Pogacar, Matxin explains
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar struck another authoritative blow at the Tour de France 2026. The race leader took stage 10 with a devastating attack at the most unexpected moment, just as Team Visma | Lease a Bike had taken control of the bunch and, inadvertently, handed the Slovenian the perfect platform to go.
On a day when, for the first time this edition, UAE Team Emirates-XRG showed hints of frailty, the world’s best rider responded in the most assertive way: attacking and extending his lead in the standings.
The other side of the coin was Isaac del Toro. The Mexican could not follow the best at the decisive point and lost time on GC, giving up part of the ground he had consolidated during the opening week. Even so, the Emirati squad retain full confidence in one of the peloton’s major talents.
Matxín explains UAE’s tactic
After the stage, Joxean Fernández Matxín, one of UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s key sports directors, assessed a day on which the team had to change its usual way of racing.
“We have to enjoy the victory. Isaac suffered, he had a bad moment, but I’m convinced he’ll have a great Tour,” said the Basque director, downplaying the time the Mexican lost.
Matxín also explained why Pogacar chose to go on the offensive instead of waiting to control the race. “As he always says, the best defense is a great attack. When other teams started to pull, we couldn’t, so Tadej went,” he noted.
Tadej Pogacar has extended his lead at the Tour de France
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Perfect scenario for UAE at the Tour
The sports director admitted the ideal scenario would have been very different for UAE. “Ideally, Isaac would have been with him, but these things happen. Let’s hope it goes better for the rest of the Tour,” he concluded.
Matxín’s words reflect the philosophy with which Pogacar is dominating this Tour de France, gathering a win that further consolidates his lead, while UAE hope Isaac del Toro regains his feeling in the coming stages to remain a key support in the mountains.
Juan LarraCycling Journalist
Juan Larra is a writer for Cyclinguptodate and editor-in-chief of Ciclismoaldia, where he has played a central role since its inception. Under his leadership, the website has become a trusted source for professional cycling coverage, offering in-depth analysis, news, and feature stories.
A sports journalist with over 20 years of experience, Juan earned his degree in Journalism from the University of Seville in 2007. He began his career covering a wide range of sports—including football, basketball, Formula 1, MotoGP, tennis, and cycling—for platforms such as the official La Liga app, Vodafone and Movistar websites, NBA Blogdebasket, and Cadena Cope, honing his skills in writing and editorial management.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Juan contributes to Cyclinguptodate and serves as editor-in-chief for the tennis-focused site Tenisaldia. Throughout his career, he has conducted exclusive interviews with cyclists and sports figures, provided detailed analysis of competitions ranging from local Spanish races to major international events, and acted as a special correspondent at prestigious races including Paris-Roubaix, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.
Juan’s combination of experience, expertise, and direct access to athletes has established him—and the platforms he leads—as authoritative voices in professional cycling.
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- It's going to happen at some point. It will happen to Tadej as well, we all get older. Jonas was in pretty great form at the tour. I still consider him a top two or three cyclist in the world, until he's not.awp15-11-2026
- mij, I am not so sure of that. I have been on a spine ward at a Denver hospital that had quite a few spinal injuries from mountain biking.BDBigGuy15-11-2026
- Pogi takes care of his teammates in races and training. Tadej Pogačar is widely praised within the cycling peloton for his fair and egalitarian leadership, actively supporting his UAE teammates both on the road during races and behind the scenes at training camps. Rather than acting like an untouchable superstar, he has intense team loyalty by sharing daily chores, giving up personal glory to help domestiques, and publicly praising their sacrifices. Unlike some Grand Tour contenders, like Vingegaard, who occasionally train away from their squads, Pogi consistently attends team training camps alongside his domestiques, making the exact same sacrifices to build friendship. I love how Pogačar shares his teammates-domestiques, either when they succeed or win in races or when they simply just do a good job for him. It has to be a great moral boost for them. And then they work even harder and go even deeper for Pogi. This is teamwork.PogiSloFans15-11-2026
- Yeah, what he said!Lozza15-11-2026
- I’m sure Jasper Philipsen would disagree with you.Lozza15-11-2026
- Article says he was “out for a spin around the town”, implying not off-road.Lozza15-11-2026
- let’s be honest, Alpecin is all about one rider - MVDP. I’m sure he gets whatever he needs, the rest get the scraps.mij15-11-2026
- there are more vicious injuries on a road bike than a mountain bike far and away.mij15-11-2026
- That'll be one crazy rider
Rafionain-Glas15-11-2026 - Many Europeans say that Austria, Switzerland and Slovenia are one of the most beautiful countries in Europe known for their stunning landscapes because of the Alp mountains, green forests, clean rivers and lakes and national parks.PogiSloFans15-11-2026
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