"We went full gas from the bottom..." - UAE deliver Adam Yates into Gran Camiño lead with superb climbing performance
Cycling
Adam Yates triumphed on stage four of O Gran Camiño 2026. The Briton seized the overall lead after a solid, astute ride backed by an impeccable UAE Team Emirates XRG, on a brutal route of relentless climbs and technical roads where the selection formed naturally from distance.
“It was a great day… but also very hard,” the Briton summed up after the stage, making it clear that the win was anything but simple despite the final outcome. Teamwork was decisive: “The guys did an incredible job and I managed to finish it off at the end,” he explained, showing that his victory was not just about legs, but also strategy and execution. On demanding terrain, where every detail matters, Yates paced himself and struck at the decisive moment.
The finale unfolded on an explosive closing climb, defined by steep ramps that stripped away tactics and left only pure power. “It was very steep, you couldn’t feel the wind and it was hot,” he noted, describing an all-out effort with minimal room to manage the pace. From the base the speed was flat-out and the decisive selection came by attrition.
In that context, Yates showed his best climbing form, withstanding the pressure from Jorgen Nordhagen and former race leader Alessandro Pinarello to continuously extend his gap and remove enough time to make it to the race lead.
“We went full gas from the bottom… it was a tough climb, but luckily I managed to finish the job,” he added, underlining the severity of a stage that will leave its mark on every rider.
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Leadership with pressure… and ambition
With this victory, Yates moves into the overall lead with one stage to go, a privileged position that guarantees nothing. The rider himself refused to get carried away: “Today I showed I’m in good shape, but tomorrow is another day,” he warned. The final stage, with an uphill finish and a cobbled sector beforehand, adds uncertainty and demands full focus.
The Briton also acknowledged external pressure: “Not so much from the team, but from others; they expect me to perform,” he said, reflecting the weight that comes with being the favourite. Even so, far from hiding, he hinted at ambition: the goal will be to build another solid plan to defend the lead… or even cap the race with another win.
Form, work and confidence
Beyond the result, Yates wanted to highlight the process that brought him here. “I’ve been training very hard and very well; I knew I was in shape,” he explained, while stressing that the key was “to put it all together and finish the job.” That blend — preparation, team and execution — is what has allowed him to land an almost decisive blow in the overall.
The Briton will be racing the Giro d'Italia soon and this results comes as a very promising sign that his preparation for the Corsa Rosa is on point - besides providing motivation ahead of what is a very important goal.
Adam Yates wins stage 4 of O Gran Camiño 2026
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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- Seriously do you think when somebody gets into a serious accident, the ambulance is called by the hurt person?🤦 there is always a buddy system in place for a risky job. police , firefighters etc so that if someone gets hurt, the other call that in.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- 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
- 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
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