Today is a rest day in the Tour de France, the second and last of this edition. And for UAE Team Emirates - XRG, everything seems to be running smoothly. Despite Team Visma | Lease a Bike's blazing start, with a strong desire to attack, the team led by Tadej Pogacar has so far dominated the 2025 edition of the French race without any stumbles.
"We weren't so good before and we're not so bad now. It's the circumstances of the race. The team we have here is spectacular. But if Pavel gets sick, you have to overcome those difficult moments and the same with Almeida, who fell. The team is very united and strong. I appreciate their commitment, they're very honest. That's what I value most. Commitment and attitude are non-negotiable," said Joxean Matxin to Marca.
Regarding the condition of João Almeida, who had to retire after a fall, Joxean Matxin left no room for doubt: "João is fine. I talk to him a lot. His rib still hurts a bit, but he's recovered from the rest of his injuries. It's not a complicated fracture. At the time it was impossible to continue racing. Now it's time to rest, recover and prepare for the Vuelta. The plan is to be there at one hundred percent."
Joao Almeida at Tour de Suisse
As for Pogacar, the decision on whether or not he will ride the Vuelta a Espana will only be made after the Tour. As for Juan Ayuso, the initial plan remains the same, but Matxin doesn't rule out a change if the young Spanish talent has to be used.
Tadej Pogacar remains the undisputed leader of the race but, as the UAE's sports director reminds us, nothing is guaranteed until Paris. "You always have to take precautions. For example, on the day of the Tourmalet there was a tricky descent. It was foggy and the ground was wet. These conditions force you to decide how to descend. It wasn't a day to take risks," explained the coach, who also praised the role of the Slovenian's teammates.
One of the highlights is, unsurprisingly, Jhonatan Narváez, who has been the last man standing before the Slovenian's attacks and is 14th overall despite riding fully in support of his leader. "It shouldn't surprise anyone that Jonny is one of the best in the world at five-minute efforts," Matxin points out.
"But here he's adapted to being more than that, just like Tadej or Van der Poel. He was fundamental in those five minutes on the Hautacam, on Mur de Bretagne... He came mainly for that kind of action and we planned it that way, but he also knew, like on Saturday, how to adapt to longer efforts," said Matxin.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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