Yesterday he vomited, he was freezing, and today the team had to help him" - Matxín explains Adam Yates’ ordeal at the Tour de France
Cycling
Adam Yates endured a true survival day on stage 17 of the Tour de France 2026. The Briton slipped off the main group very early and shipped more than eleven minutes at the line, a performance far from the level he had shown over the first two weeks. At the finish, Joxean Fernández Matxín, UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s performance director, explained that the rider is battling a viral issue that completely undermined his output.
“What the doctor told us was gastrofacal. I don’t know if it’s gastroenteritis or another definition, you’d have to ask the doctor,” the Spaniard told Eurosport’s microphones, avoiding a precise diagnosis but confirming Yates is carrying a significant physical problem.
Matxín revealed the symptoms began the day before the stage. “Yesterday he vomited and felt cold, very cold after the stage,” he said. Even so, he noted the night was relatively positive, as the Briton managed to sleep normally before facing a stage that, on paper, offered a final chance for breakaway artists before the Alpine trilogy.
“He slept well, eight hours. Also, we didn’t have to get up too early and that allowed him to rest,” he added.
Adam Yates cracks after a rough night
However, the initial good sensations vanished quickly once racing began. As Matxín explained, Yates started the stage with better legs than expected, but the fatigue steadily took its toll as the kilometres ticked by.
“At the start he felt good, but as the kilometres went by he drifted from the first group,” he recounted.
That was when UAE made a collective call to protect one of their key riders. The team ordered a slowdown and waited for Yates to slot into the group with Florian Vermeersch, ensuring the Briton did not face the chase completely alone.
“We told him to wait for Florian’s group. When that group made it across, we kept a steady tempo so as not to stop the race, not hard but not completely easy either,” he explained.
🎙️ Matxin, en Eurosport sobre los problemas de Yates y las dudas con Del Toro:
— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) July 22, 2026
"No sé si es gastroenteritis u otra definición; ayer vomitó y tenía frío. Pero ayer durmió y tenía buenas sensaciones al principio"
"Isaac no, ha entrado delante"#TDF2026 | #LaCasaDelCiclismo pic.twitter.com/SFU0o0h7go
“We have to know how to suffer when things go wrong”
Not even that collective effort was enough to ease the Briton’s ordeal, and he finally had to let go. Matxín then underlined the behaviour of the whole squad, highlighting UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s collective spirit.
“Even then he was still suffering and, as a team, we decided to help him. We enjoy, win and celebrate together when things go well, but we also have to suffer together when they go wrong. This is a team for better and for worse,” he said.
Read also
The Spanish director also moved to calm any concern about the rest of the roster. Asked whether other riders might be affected by the same issue, he ruled out similar symptoms for Isaac del Toro. “No. Not Isaac,” he replied bluntly.
With the high mountains still ahead, Adam Yates’s condition is one of UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s main unknowns, as they hope to recover the Briton before the decisive finale of the Tour.
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.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I hope 2027 is his year.mij03-11-2026
- why does he have to? many GT riders from Froome to Contador to Indurain didn't do them.mij03-11-2026
- I think Jonas would have lost the TDF by 4+ minutes (at the least) and might not have even been in the top 3. Too much talent in the younger riders to say anyone not named Pogačar would have been top 3md197503-11-2026
- this is just stupid. you already have 23%, gravel is over the topabstractengineer03-11-2026
- There was once a time when Lance was supremely popular and he used his artificial "It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life" persona to lead his mob in going after Greg. There was no one Lance did not abuse in protecting his phony hero image. Lance promoted himself as a divine megastar and he let down millions of cancer victims and gullible devotees who clung far too long to the charade. Lance is the epitome of a corrupt person and because of his power, many around him, including business enterprises, succumbed to the evil. All who got in Armstrong's way were mercilessly attacked by him and his minions. This remarkably continues today with a new generation. LeMond was a number one enemy and paid a huge price. Who do you think slandered who?Yepperoni03-11-2026
- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- 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
Loading
1 Comments