Trouble at UAE - Tadej Pogacar loses important mountain domestique to illness at the Tour de France
CyclingThursday, 23 July 2026 at 17:10
The Tour de France is a race that can change overnight, and Brandon McNulty has experienced that first hand. UAE Team Emirates - XRG has just lost one of its most important domestiques to illness at the Tour, as the team's mountain block disintegrates around Tadej Pogacar and Isaac del Toro.
Brandon McNulty withdraws from the Tour de France
On stage 17, Adam Yates looked to be in immense trouble to finish the stage. It was revealed after the matter that the Briton had been suffering from gastrointestinal problems, which have made it very difficult for him to eat and absorb nutrients. Luckily, the Briton didn't encounter a mountainous finale, and was aided by Tim Wellens to reach the finish.
However whilst Yates' health looks to have improved overnight, the opposite happened to the other rider that had been leading the yellow and white jersey in the mountains: Brandon McNulty.
Early on stage 18 the American rider was dropped, creating a lot of worries over his health status. The fight to stay at the Tour de France became too costly, specially as the UAE rider crossed the intermediate sprint isolated and minutes behind the closest riders.
McNulty left the race throughout the stage, leaving UAE with seven riders.
Brandon McNulty at the 2026 Tour de France
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Will Pogacar and Del Toro go into the queen stage without support?
Adam Yates also struggled during stage 18 and the team, without Brandon McNulty and with a sick Tim Wellens, finds itself very reduced in terms of firepower. More specifically, its the team's climbing men that have been affected the most.
Felix Grosschartner remains in the race and his role may become ever more important for the two team leaders, but the Austrian rider also crashed together with Jonas Vingegaard on stage 15 and might not have his very best level.
Stages 19 and 20 of the Tour will finish on the Alpe d'Huez, and the lack of firepower available may see the Emirati team change its tactics into the final mountain stages.
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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- Please quote the Pogačar haters. Thank you.RidesHills23-07-2026
- I really like Carapaz and it is superb that he has this win.RidesHills23-07-2026
- Stage win in Paris on Stage 21? That's more prestigious than the green jersey in my opinion. i'd rather see MvdP fight Pogi on the last stage like Wout did last yearmobk23-07-2026
- Didn't this site predict Carapaz for the win? So not too bad on the predictions. This seems like a stage that Kuss could have won, so not super farfetched. less sure about Simmonsmobk23-07-2026
- Cycling is a free spectator sport, where you can literally touch participants, how is that like any of the others? It’s good some are against those trying to kidnap it for their agendas.Mistermaumau23-07-2026
- Uncanny, what’s 20+25? So many similarities.Mistermaumau23-07-2026
- Goran Ivanišević was my favorite tennis player back in the day. Nothing like watching Goran bomb aces in Wimbledon. Was so happy when he won it in 2001.
PogiFan2Day23-07-2026 - I'm Croation, just like my parents and grandparents. Yes, I was born in Cleveland and lived there for 20 years, but now I've been living in Croatia, my home country, for 25 years. Liar Andrew is just like the French Pogi haters... he boo's and spits on his rivals. And yes, the american orange orangutan president is a "goat" literally... he belongs in the mountains, far away from civilization.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales23-07-2026
- Like a bad game of chess, UAE has no more team and Visma has no more leader.Mistermaumau23-07-2026
- Why do Simmons and Kuss keep getting presented as main candidates for victories. Surely a review of previous performances will allow bettee predictions?Mistermaumau23-07-2026
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