UAE will have to switch to plan 'B' for Renewi Tour as their main star has been struck by illness
CyclingMonday, 17 August 2026 at 23:00
Tim Wellens was intended as the cornerstone of UAE Team Emirates - XRG's lineup for upcoming Renewi Tour, however an illness threw a spanner in those plans. Thus, the Belgian won't compete for his fifth overall victory at the only WorldTour stage race on Belgian soil. According to Het Nieuwsblad, Wellens is reportedly now aiming for a comeback at the Tour of Britain (September 2-6).
Major setback
The Emirati team's attention will now shift to another Belgian member of its Classics squad; Florian Vermeersch. The 27-year-old has all the qualities to compete for a top result at the five-day race in Wellens' absence.
In addition, the depth of selected team allows UAE to play multiple cards including Julius Johansen, Rune Herregodts or Filippo Baroncini.
Read also
Historically located between Netherlands and Belgium (and even dubbed the Benelux Tour in the past), the 2026 Renewi Tour takes place entirely on Belgian soil. The edition kicks off with two sprint stages. The rest of the race schedule closely resembles that of the previous edition. Stages with finish in Geraardsbergen, and Bilzen-Hoeselt, and Leuven should provide for spectacle which will involve several spring classics stars.
UAE Team Emirates - XRG for Renewi Tour 2026:
- Rune Herregodts
- Rui Oliveira
- Igor Arrieta
- Filippo Baroncini
- Mikkel Bjerg
- Florian Vermeersch
- Julius Johansen
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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- Agree with Hills33, this is a sad moment of endings.RidesHills17-08-2026
- @mistermaumau: yes, it becomes an ever-expanding spider web of accountability, complicity, guilt by association, etc. In the cycling world it’s not SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION from some major figure who doped. it’s maybe one or two, at best.OCexile17-08-2026
- that’s exactly where i’m at with lance armstrong. apologies because i’ve said this exact same thing before, but i couldn’t care less about armstrong doping or lying about it (why dope then NOT lie). i dislike armstrong precisely for the reason you mention. he’sa fundamentally bad person in my opinion. i think it might be more useful for everyone to rail against THAT when they say armstrong should be cancelled forever because he was a doper, because i don’t really think that’s the fundamental problem people have with him. i haven’t chosen to hold johan bruyneel or george hincapie responsible for the behavior of armstrong, but i respect the position of those who do. “if they choose to associate with someone like that then you get judged by the company you keep.” i understand.OCexile17-08-2026
- That's sad.Hills3317-08-2026
- ThHills3317-08-2026
- Given how he front-loaded his schedule, Vingegaard has raced 51 days this season. For those who think he's quitting early, it's worth looking at the numbers. For example, that's more race days than Pogačar had in 2023 and 2025, or Evenepoel raced in 2021 or 2025. Notably, some of those seasons also included injuries. Seems like his choice is similar to theirs, no?RidesHills17-08-2026
- Vingegaard has never been much of a classics racer, and he isn't going to start at this age and with these constraints to his career (the importance of family to him, Pogačar at the Tour, things like that). When he has raced Liége-Bastogne-Liége or any other classic, he's been fine, but not great. He last raced a monument in 2022. I've said before that his 4 grand tour wins put him on par with just 15 other riders in cycling history. Were he to win another Vuelta or Giro, he'd tie for 9th place - were he to win two, he'd be tied for 8th. That's a hell of a career, and there's nothing wrong with specializing in grand tours and GC races. Contador did the same, Froome as well. Vingegaard right now has the same grand tour record that Nibali did (and the same number of wins, 54!), but Nibali won 3 monuments, while Vingegaard has been more successful in the GC races. Point being, Vingegaard won't be missed at the world championships because he's never been the kind of rider to win them. And that's perfectly fine.RidesHills17-08-2026
- Duh...bobo17-08-2026
- I single out Postal and everyone associated - I don’t believe the other dopers took measures to destroy people who criticized them, unless I’m mistaken.Crashjames17-08-2026
- Best wishes for next year, young man, as you finalize your contract with the **CMA CGM Team**. But for 2028, don’t chase the money—chase the **legacy**. Join EF Education–EasyPost; hopefully by then they’ll have a sponsor big enough to afford you! They’re the kind of team that could build a team around your growth and give you the weapons to take down Pogi and Del Toro. The money will come eventually, but **legacy lasts forever—and maybe you can finally bring France another Tour de France champion after more than 40 years!wambo17-08-2026
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