“UAE looked a bit fragile as a team to me” - Bruyneel sends warning to Pogacar in the final stretch of the Tour de France
CyclingThursday, 23 July 2026 at 12:15
Jasper Philipsen sealed one of the most unexpected victories of the Tour de France, taking stage 17 after 175 kilometers of frantic racing, a day defined by relentless attacks, an average speed close to 47 km/h, and a finale reserved for a very small group. The Belgian won, and Johan Bruyneel and Spencer Martin broke it all down on The Move.
The win also carried special meaning for Belgian cycling, now up to six stage victories at this Tour and three in a row. “The stage was super exciting. We thought the break would form in the first 50 kilometers, but groups were constantly forming and splitting. We didn’t know until the end if the move would stick,” summarized Johan Bruyneel.
The former sports director was particularly impressed by Philipsen’s performance on terrain far from a sprinter’s comfort zone. “After such a hard stage, for Philipsen to win as a pure sprinter… he even had to close gaps multiple times. Hats off. He had a difficult start to the Tour, but he never stopped fighting,” he said.
Bruyneel also highlighted the collective strength of Alpecin-Deceuninck, which kept faith in the Belgian despite early disappointments. “Credit to the team for continuing to believe in him and, especially, to Mathieu van der Poel. Today he could have ridden to win himself, but again he worked for his friend. It’s a great example of how this team operates,” he stated.
Spencer Martin likewise praised the Belgian squad’s tactics. “Everything clicked. Van der Poel first tried to make the break and then they completely flipped the plan to work for Philipsen. He also nailed the intermediate sprint and then won the finish. It was a flawless team display,” he explained.
Pedersen pays for his effort
The other big story of the day was Mads Pedersen. The Dane delivered an offensive masterclass, bridging to the break and taking the intermediate sprint, but he paid for the massive workload in the decisive kilometers.
“Pedersen probably rode his strongest race of this entire Tour,” Bruyneel assessed. “He made the splits, bridged solo to the break when it looked impossible, and took the intermediate sprint. But precisely on the day he was one of the strongest riders, he ended up putting his green jersey in jeopardy.”
Martin even wondered whether the points leader had spent too much. Bruyneel, however, backed his approach. “He saw an opportunity and took it. He thought Philipsen was suffering and didn’t expect him to come back to contest both the intermediate and the finish. He did what he had to do.”
The result blows the points classification wide open. Philipsen has cut the gap to just seven points, turning the battle for the green jersey into one of the key storylines of the Tour’s final stages.
UAE raise a few questions
Beyond Philipsen’s triumph, the day offered some worrying signs for UAE Team Emirates. Bruyneel sensed a degree of fragility in Tadej Pogacar’s unit, especially after Adam Yates’ physical troubles and Tim Wellens and Florian Vermeersch being caught behind at points during the stage.
“UAE looked a bit fragile to me today,” he noted. “Adam Yates started the day sick and suffered a lot. On top of that, Wellens and Vermeersch were dropped at a moment when they should normally always be up front.”
The Belgian was especially critical of the Emirati team’s insistence on chasing the teams classification. “They can’t make that an objective. If you’re at the Tour to win the overall, the only thing that matters is winning the Tour. The teams classification should come as a consequence, not a priority.”
Martin agreed and went a step further in assessing how Pogacar’s advantage is being managed. “At times it feels like they’re being too conservative. They’ve let chances slip to extend the gap even more, and you never know when you’ll need that buffer.”
Bruyneel concurred. “Whenever you can gain time without spending too much, you should. At the Tour it’s all a math exercise: you need to bank time because you never know what can happen in the last week.”
Isaac del Toro, a star of world cycling
Del Toro at the heart of the debate
Isaac del Toro’s ride was also central to the analysis. Bruyneel acknowledged that the Mexican showed a few weaker moments during the stage, while avoiding hasty conclusions.
“There was a moment when he was distanced and took time to get back. In the third week of the Tour, a rider fighting for the podium usually has the legs to close that gap immediately,” he explained.
Martin suggested that Pogacar’s constant protection of his young teammate could even backfire on the team. “If rivals sense that Pogačar won’t attack to protect Del Toro, they might start making the moves themselves,” he said.
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Bruyneel agreed that could happen. “If Remco sees Pogacar easing up to wait for Del Toro, he’ll try to accelerate to drop him. That could end up hurting the very rider they want to protect.”
Even so, the former sports director noted that the excellent relationship between the two leaders may explain part of that strategy. “From the outside we might think he should always go full gas, but they have a great relationship. In the end, in the last week of the Tour, the legs will do the talking.”
Meanwhile, Philipsen has thrown the green jersey race wide open again, and Belgium continues a standout Tour, with six stage wins and three consecutive victories for its riders.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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