"Without Tadej Pogacar's points and victories, UAE Team Emirates would be the best team" - Matxin insists UAE aren't over-reliant on Pogacar
CyclingSaturday, 29 August 2026 at 10:19
UAE Team Emirates - XRG manager Joxean Matxin has heaped praise on Tadej Pogacar during the Vuelta a Espana as the Slovenian marches towards general classification victory. However, he insists that the team aren't over-reliant on their prized rider.
Pogacar has won six grand tours with the squad, and with a seventh pending next month, the Slovenian has brought a wave of success since his breakout performance at the 2019 Vuelta a Espana.
While Tour de France victories have come on five occasions since 2020, with a Giro d'Italian squeezed in for good measure, the Spanish Grand Tour eluded his until this year. For Matxin, it was always a case of when Pogacar would turn up at the Vuelta as his goals and physical shape lined up to make a participation the preferred option.
"Well, in the end you always have to look for goals, ambition, incentives, and I think the Vuelta a España was something that was pending," Matxin told MARCA. "Sometimes it can happen, sometimes it can't, like in other years, and this year it was feasible."
Tadej Pogacar in action on Stage 7 of the 2026 Vuelta a Espana
Pogacar on his way to Grand Tour triple crown
With a lead of 3:50 on next best-placed Enric Mas and with three stage victories to his name after seven stages, Pogacar is likely to win his first Vuelta crown. In doing so, he would join an elite club of riders to have taken victory at all three of cycling's Grand Tours.
When a young Pogacar announced himself to the cycling world at the 2019 edition with three stage wins and a third overall, few could imagine just how dominant he would become. Matxin notes that he still remains the same person he was in 2019 despite a vast catalogue of success.
"He hasn't really changed much. He is aware of the importance of his influence in international cycling, and he's also aware that security has to put up barriers because otherwise it's madness, but he's just as approachable as when I first met him.
Pogacar is less shy but still the same person
"Less shy, obviously, but he still always says "please" and "thank you." So I think that in that respect, it seems we have to value normality as something extraordinary, and I think normality remains with him."
Asked about Pogacar's contribution to the team's UCI points and placing as the best in the world, he was quick to point out that, if Pogacar's results and wins were ignored, the team are also leading the way. Pointing to Isaac del Toro's 2025 near-miss with Giro d'Italia glory, he believes a Grand Tour win without Pogacar is possible.
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"In last year's Giro d'Italia, nobody expected Isaac to win, and he almost did. And due to circumstances that were almost beyond his control, it wasn't to be, but he's a rider who could easily win a Grand Tour.
"It hasn't been widely reported, but consider that without Tadej Pogacar's points and victories, UAE Team Emirates would be the best team and the one with the most wins. And that's because we also help Tadej Pogacar win many races."
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- Yankees go home... and stay there.PogiSloFans29-08-2026
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- Lol the UCI have found a goose that keeps on laying golden eggs.Cyclingsbestfan29-08-2026
- Stop being so modest. Why would you hear that from a birdie? You and Pog are such good friends I think he may have told you that when you called him before the start.
Andrew29-08-2026 - Without a doubt it has changed its login many times and probably has more that one login that it uses to support itself.Andrew29-08-2026
- He can but does he want to is what you should asking Mr Americano. XxxAndrew29-08-2026
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- Wout was a monster today. I really thought his day would end after the intermediate sprint.DAS28-08-2026
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