"Where Tadej is, that's obviously different" but Tim Wellens enjoys racing with his leader Pogacar and away from the spotlight
Cycling
In UAE Team Emirates - XRG, Tim Wellens has found a perfect position. He no longer has the pressure of being a leader, and ran ride within his own terms, having great legs and taking huge wins; but putting a lot of focus into the team's and Tadej Pogacar's success.
This winter, the Belgian national champion has travelled once again to Benidorm to meet up with the Emirati team. Whilst not everyone was present, he still got to see news faces. And other not-so-new faces. "It's always nice to get together here in December and see everyone again. There are riders here, like Jay Vine, who I've never raced with before," the Belgian jokes in words to Sporza.
Calendar wise, he commented: "There are few surprises. It's more or less the same as this year: the main goals are the Classics and the Tour, to help Tadej." Wellens will race Omloop het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne to start off the season, where he can immediately have the chance to take a big win. With UAE, he has won at the Tour de France for the first time and also taken the national title this summer, with wins at the Renewi Tour and Tour de Pologne also in his palmarès.
Following the Opening Weekend he will team up with Pogacar at Strade Bianche and Milano-Sanremo; followed by the cobbled classics in which he will race a full block. E3 Saxo Classic, Middelkerke Wevelgem, Dwars door Vlaanderen, Tour of Flanders and finally Paris-Roubaix.
Before flying to the Costa Blanca, Wellens joined Tadej Pogacar, Nils Politt and Florian Vermeersch to do equipment testing in the cobbled sector of Paris-Roubaix. "That was very instructive," the veteran believes. "We tested different materials to see what's most comfortable. The team then analyzes that data to determine what's most effective."
Wellens and Pogacar both leading their respective classifications during this year's Tour de France
Secret for UAE's success
The 34-year old likes to be away from the spotlight, but does not want that to mean not obtaining results. "That won't be a problem if I have the legs and can get a result. Where Tadej is, that's obviously different. But if I could choose, I'd want him to ride every classic," he admits. "It's much easier to ride for the team than to try to achieve my own results. I'd happily sacrifice myself for him in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix."
As several others say, from top to smaller level riders, Wellens feels quite at home and does not want to move away. "I'm riding for the best team in the world, with the best rider in the world. I could never have believed that as a kid. I feel good here. I couldn't be better off anywhere else than here."
The team scored 97 wins this past season, a new record in the cycling world. "What's the secret of UAE? We're all teammates who push each other to a higher level," he responds. He himself contributed with two of those wins. "Here in training, we ride incredibly hard. That benefits the level."
On Pogacae, Wellens has no doubt that the motivation is still there, and the two will team up once again at the Tour de France this year. "He's still just as motivated, which isn't easy, considering he's already won everything. I personally hope to win at least once again next year, just as I've done every year in recent years."
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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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- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin is wuite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
- dude, Lemond never even was in the same race as Armstrong. He throws all these aspersions on other American riders who might usurp his throne as the greatest ever American racer. He doesn't say a single thing about (foreign) dopers who he actually raced against. Biggest douchebag move ever. I used to revere that guy, now I despise him. His actions are so weird.fatsupermodel02-11-2026
- This is just stupid, You do what you are good at not what you are weak at. He has no results to speak of when he participated. Even Froome, Conatdor had very little. With Pogi there he wont win none of the classics. he is already 30+ with a few years left at the top. It takes years to get good at classics. Is that really worth the effort???abstractengineer02-11-2026
- Sure, little fella.awp02-11-2026
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