"We're not even at the 'three and a half'" - UAE's Matxín says Tour far from over for Pogacar
Cycling
With Tadej Pogacar holding the lead in the general
classification, UAE Team Emirates – XRG sport manager Joxeán Matxín
isn’t letting the team ease into any sense of comfort. Speaking to Marca, he
stressed that the Tour de France is still wide open, and the hardest part is
yet to come.
“Favorable in sporting terms, unfavorable in terms of the
loss of Joao Almeida, who was a very important piece for us,” Matxín said of
the opening week and a half. “But we are optimistic. Last year we also lost the
Pau stage with Juan Ayuso due to circumstances and we competed with seven
riders. We were able to keep up. We hope that this year it will be similar.”
He said Team Visma | ease a Bike’s early aggression hasn’t
come as a shock. “Not particularly. They are being very offensive, maybe
looking to repeat what worked for them at Granon, which was the way they
managed to unseat Tadej. You can tell they have that same character in mind.”
Still, Matxín emphasized that the dynamic now is different
from the 2022 Tour, when Jonas Vingegaard, Primoz Roglic, and Wout van Aert
combined to crush Pogacar’s ambitions in the Alps. “We are in a different
scenario. The one who leads the classification and is one minute ahead is
Tadej. The one who should attack is Vingegaard. Sometimes cycling seems to
forget that it's not always the one who's first who should attack.”
And when it comes to the big picture, Matxín is adamant: the
race is just getting started. “There are eight decisive stages, and we've only
passed one. There are seven to go. One was the time trial, and there are still
the rest. We can't relax in any of them.”
Despite talk of a potential fourth Tour win, he says the
team isn’t getting ahead of itself. “We're not even at the ‘three and a half’,
to think about the fourth. The Tour is not over. Look what happened to Joao
Almeida. I was convinced he was going to be a protagonist, even for the podium.
I'm not saying that to make myself look good. I really mean it.”
And as for rumors of Pogacar riding the Vuelta a España?
Matxín dismissed the speculation outright. “We are in the Tour. When it's over,
we'll analyze everything. I have the utmost respect for the Vuelta a España and
its organizers.
“I don't want to plan something that doesn't come true. It
already happened one year when Tadej was scheduled to race and then he
couldn't. We're going to be prudent. We are going to be prudent.”
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as 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. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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- great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
- the time for a GC rider to retire is when they cannot win stages, or have a significant level drop like from winner/podium into top 5/10 consistently. Roglic is still competitive and Froome raced even though he became pack fodder.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- He should be in a different team. It was detrimental. For them it does not matter if he does not develop. He should have gone to a team where they need him to succeed.abstractengineer10-11-2026
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