Visma remarkably edge past UAE in the 2026 Grand Tours - Vuelta UCI points tip the balance after Pogacar crashes out of race
CyclingMonday, 14 September 2026 at 18:00
There’s a statistic that, at first glance, is hard to square. Visma - Lease a Bike finished 2026 ahead of UAE Team Emirates XRG in the combined team points from the three Grand Tours. The Dutch squad amassed 7,980.75 points, while the Emirati block settled on 7,710, a 270.75-point gap that cuts across the sense of dominance UAE projected for much of the season.
The ranking, compiled from points earned by each team at the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España, also offers a particularly telling insight. Visma didn’t need to win the Tour battle to prevail overall. In fact, their most decisive return came at the Giro and, above all, in a Vuelta that unfolded completely differently to UAE’s original plan.
Richard Plugge’s formation banked 3,287 points at the Giro, 1,463.75 at the Tour, and 3,230 at the Vuelta. UAE, for their part, took 1,045 in Italy, a spectacular haul of 5,565 in France, and only 1,100 in Spain. The gap is therefore explained mainly by Visma’s consistency across the three races and by UAE’s collapse in the season’s final Grand Tour.
And here we find the factor that changes the picture entirely: Tadej Pogačar could not finish the Vuelta a España. The Slovenian, race leader and winner of three stages, suffered a heavy crash on stage 8 and had to abandon. UAE later confirmed that the injury forced him to end his season.
The Tour propped up UAE, but the Vuelta decided the ranking
UAE’s dominance at the Tour was unanswerable in this comparison. The 5,565 points earned in France account for almost three quarters of their total Grand Tour haul. Pogačar was pivotal in reaching that figure, and the team capitalised on his huge capacity to stack results over the three weeks.
Visma, by contrast, added only 1,463.75 points at the Tour. The more than 4,100-point difference between the two teams in France looked enough to all but settle any annual comparison. However, the Giro and especially the Vuelta ended up overturning that vast deficit.
In Italy, Visma had already started building their advantage thanks to 3,287 points against UAE’s 1,045. The Dutch team more than tripled their rival’s output, laying a first stone for a comeback that seemed unlikely after the Tour.
The situation changed radically in Spain. Visma’s 3,230 points versus UAE’s 1,100 meant a 2,130-point swing in a single race, enough to claw back more than half the hole the Dutch had dug in France. And the explanation doesn’t lie solely in on-the-road performance.
Tadej Pogacar en la séptima etapa de la Vuelta a España 2026
The Vuelta that changed everything
Pogačar’s crash was the turning point. The Slovenian abandoned while wearing the red jersey after winning three stages and standing as the outstanding favourite for the overall. His withdrawal opened the race and allowed Enric Mas to seize definitive control of a Vuelta he would win ahead of Primož Roglič and Felix Gall.
But UAE’s problem didn’t end with their leader. The Emirati squad endured a true attrition of withdrawals during the race, to the point of being left with only four riders in competition. Pogačar was joined on the casualty list by Pablo Torres, Pavel Sivakov, and Jay Vine, leaving the team reduced to half its starting line-up.
In such a scenario, UAE’s ability to keep banking points was severely limited. The outfit that had steamrollered the Tour found itself in Spain without its primary points engine and with a heavily depleted structure. That contrast explains a large share of those 2,130 points separating them from Visma.
Visma, by contrast, seized the opportunity and delivered a far more balanced output. Their result at the Vuelta not only won the head-to-head with UAE in Spain, but proved decisive in placing them atop the 2026 Grand Tours ranking.
Read also
A ranking shaped by injuries
The figure doesn’t necessarily mean Visma were superior to UAE across the entire Grand Tour season. In fact, UAE took 5,565 points at the Tour, a number that alone exceeds Visma’s combined Giro and Vuelta tally. The final difference stems from the Dutch side’s ability to score consistently and, above all, from an unexpected finale in Spain.
Pogačar’s injury was decisive. His abandonment altered not only the Vuelta’s general classification but also the distribution of points between teams. UAE lost, in one stroke, the rider who had won three stages and led the race, while the rest of the roster had to face the final two weeks with very limited resources. The organisers themselves confirmed his withdrawal on stage 8.
The final picture is particularly striking because UAE seemed to have the classification in hand after the Tour. The Emiratis had built a huge lead thanks to their form in France, but the Giro and the Vuelta steadily shifted the trend. Visma capitalised on every opening and closed the three Grand Tours with 270.75 points more.
Thus, the dominant team in the Grand Tours points classification in 2026 is not UAE, despite their spectacular Tour, but Team Visma | Lease a Bike. Pogačar’s injury, the Emirati team’s numerous absences, and the outcome of the Vuelta ultimately tipped a balance that, before the season’s final Grand Tour, looked clearly favourable to UAE.
| Pos. | Team | Total points | Giro | Tour | Vuelta |
| 1 | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | 7,980.75 | 3,287.00 | 1,463.75 | 3,230.00 |
| 2 | UAE Team Emirates-XRG | 7,710.00 | 1,045.00 | 5,565.00 | 1,100.00 |
| 3 | Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | 6,883.00 | 1,744.00 | 2,920.00 | 2,219.00 |
| 4 | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | 6,166.04 | 2,037.00 | 2,595.04 | 1,534.00 |
| 5 | Lidl-Trek | 5,979.00 | 2,285.00 | 3,025.00 | 669.00 |
| 6 | Bahrain Victorious | 4,705.66 | 1,723.00 | 1,295.66 | 1,687.00 |
| 7 | XDS Astana | 3,816.00 | 1,565.00 | 715.00 | 1,536.00 |
| 8 | Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team | 3,669.00 | 1,772.00 | 725.00 | 1,172.00 |
| 9 | Soudal Quick-Step | 3,534.04 | 1,499.00 | 1,095.04 | 940.00 |
| 10 | Uno-X Mobility | 3,512.00 | 1,015.00 | 1,170.00 | 1,327.00 |
| 11 | EF Education-EasyPost | 3,442.00 | 637.00 | 1,650.00 | 1,155.00 |
| 12 | Movistar Team | 3,242.00 | 857.00 | 410.00 | 1,975.00 |
| 13 | Tudor Pro Cycling Team | 2,259.00 | 1,217.00 | 500.00 | 542.00 |
| 14 | Alpecin-Premier Tech | 2,250.04 | 295.00 | 1,540.00 | 415.00 |
| 15 | NSN Cycling Team | 1,965.00 | 630.00 | 805.00 | 530.00 |
| 16 | Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team | 1,891.50 | 562.00 | 737.50 | 592.00 |
| 17 | Groupama-FDJ United | 1,832.00 | 352.00 | 450.00 | 1,020.00 |
| 18 | Team Jayco-AlUla | 1,432.00 | 337.00 | 920.00 | 175.00 |
| 19 | Lotto-Intermarché | 1,342.00 | 332.00 | 430.00 | 580.00 |
| 20 | Cofidis | 926.00 | 0.00 | 350.00 | 576.00 |
| 21 | Team TotalEnergies | 690.04 | 0.00 | 690.04 | 0.00 |
| 22 | Team Polti VisitMalta | 597.00 | 597.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 23 | Equipo Kern Pharma | 502.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 502.00 |
| 24 | Unibet Rose Rockets | 450.00 | 450.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 25 | Bardiani-CSF Faizanè | 252.00 | 252.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 26 | Team Picnic PostNL | 239.00 | 67.00 | 95.00 | 77.00 |
| 27 | Burgos Burpellet BH | 222.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 222.00 |
| 28 | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | 105.00 | 0.00 | 105.00 | 0.00 |
Javier RampeCycling Journalist
Javier Rampe is a sports analyst with more than 15 years of experience. He holds a degree in Economics from the University of Rome and a Diploma in Business Studies from the University of Cádiz. Despite coming from an academic background not particularly associated with cycling, his passion for both cycling and journalism was instilled in him from an early age. He grew up following Miguel Indurain and José María “El Chava” Jiménez. An admirer of Michael Robinson’s communication style and journalistic approach, he was inspired to pursue a degree in Journalism at the University of Buenos Aires, which he is currently completing.
He has always maintained close ties with the worlds of sport and culture, contributing from a young age to sports blogs and film and music review websites. His work has appeared in media outlets such as Cope, RAI, and Radio Con Vos. He is also the founder of the cycling-focused podcast El Contraanálisis and the football interview channel Días De Fútbol, dedicated to conversations with professional footballers.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Javier has interviewed some of the most influential figures in modern cycling, including Alejandro Valverde and Tadej Pogačar, as well as key voices in anti-doping policy such as Alberto Yelmo, David Varillas, and Marcelo Milano. Marcos Maynar, in relation to the ‘Operación Ílex’ case, is also among the personalities he has interviewed. He enjoys conducting in-depth analysis of the cycling ecosystem and has attended major events such as Strade Bianche, the Vuelta a Andalucía, and Itzulia, as well as numerous national cyclo-cross races.
His background in economics, combined with extensive experience in marketing and corporate communications, drives his continuous study of positioning strategies and ensures that he always keeps his focus on crafting compelling and evocative headlines.
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- "In fact, UAE took 5,565 points at the Tour, a number that alone exceeds Visma’s combined Giro and Vuelta tally" Somebody clearly can't do the math herevappaxbipmv14-09-2026
- The only reason he caught Pogi is that Pogi didn't know Mas was chasing him and was taking it a little easy. Yes my friend, Mas surprised Pogi. Ad acta!!!PogiSloFans14-09-2026
- Your comment makes more sense than what the author of this article wrote. PS: Mas is one of the biggest record breakers in the history of cycling!!! Sarcasm PressPogiSloFans14-09-2026
- Joke of the last decade: "The 2026 Vuelta a España has come to a conclusion and Enric Mas has been able to do what only two other riders in the history of the sport have managed to: Win a Grand Tour where Tadej Pogacar was at the start." !?!? PS: ... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ... One of the funniest jokes in cycling history, not because of Primož and Jonas ... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ...PogiSloFans14-09-2026
- An excellent point, that Mas catching Pogačar on that steep goat track climb helped legitimize the win - had he just inherited the space and not passed Pogačar and not won the stage, I'd have far more questions. As it is, yes, sadly, a crash put him into the lead, but he earned the place to have taken that lead, and he defended it well when it mattered.RidesHills14-09-2026
- Weren't you staying away from these comment boards until Pogačar raced again?RidesHills14-09-2026
- The factor of the no-Pogacar, is another point of note, no one wins with Pogacar around or it's close.. I think their should be a rule, if Pogacar's in a race then his results should be ignored
leedorney14-09-2026 - what a garbage takewrsty14-09-2026
- Pity Kuss couldn’t find back his past performance except for one or two good stages. Makes you wonder how he ever managed to win it even if you ignore the others on the podium were restrained.Jumpyjohn14-09-2026
- A bit of a whiner though. Attracts attention to himself and then complains people pay attention to him. You don’t usually achieve change by trying to force things through, and that’s when there’s more or less consensus it’s necessary or good. If you’re just doing it because it’s convenient for YOU or to go it alone against established ways, you’ve got no chance.Jumpyjohn14-09-2026
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