Yesterday he vomited, he was freezing, and today the team had to help him" - Matxín explains Adam Yates’ ordeal at the Tour de France
CyclingThursday, 23 July 2026 at 09:30
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
- The organisers’ optimism suggests that the Vuelta a España 2026 could feature one of the biggest possible attractions for cycling fans because of Tadej Pogačar - THE GOAT !!! The Spanish fans love Pogi, just like the Italians, on contrary, the French are giving him the middle finger (caught on camera)... the French are booing him (caught on camera)... the French media is implying or hinting that Pogi might be doping. What's going to be next... spitting or throwing urine into Pogi's face???mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales23-07-2026
- Love the guy but I hope he doesn't. We need a grand tour that has a genuine competition in it for GC.Cyclingsbestfan23-07-2026
- "(...) and why not the rest of the top ten?" Unfortunately in the rest of TOP 10 is a french rider which is somehow invisible for ITA.averagecyclist23-07-2026
- Oh he is. Was mentioned here somewhere. Also ironic if you consider the behaviour of american fans at the Ryder Cup.
Andrew23-07-2026 - LA Doper with drug testing whining ... not unexpected!frieders323-07-2026
- The headline is kind of click bait-y. Watch the YouTube clip yourselves. I don't think the headline is what I took out of the discussion. If I had to summarise, Geraint doesn't really assign blame, but it's kind of inferred that he probably thinks Campenaerts is to blame for following the moto and as a result, goes round the roundabout too hot. Geraint does say outright that he doesn't blame the 2am testing given that the peloton had already ridden through lots of dodgy corners safely earlier in the stage. I think this has been the key debate every fan has been discussing (whether the 2am testing had an impact) - I know there was even some heated debates on the Escape Collective comments, which is usually quite civilised...Pogboom23-07-2026
- If he’s American that’s extremely ironic considering how many of them consider Trump to be a goat (I don’t like shouting).Jumpyjohn23-07-2026
- First of all, there is no 100 fine so most likely a typo. Secondly there are dozens of regulation breaches, each with different severity so no surprise to see differences in punishment (a bit like you when driving through a red light or not stopping at a pedestrian crossing. You need to do more homework to find details if it interests you.Jumpyjohn23-07-2026
- Says the prototype stereotypical american who although now lives elsewhere is an americam by birth.Andrew23-07-2026
- "Stage 16 (...) - DS Steven De Jongh (Lidl-Trek) fined 2,000CHF for breaching regulations or guidelines concerning vehicle movements during the race. (...)" "Stage 17 (...) - Team Visma | Lease a Bike DS Arthur van Dongen: Breach of regulations or guidelines concerning vehicle movements during the race and failure to comply with the instructions of commissaires. 100CHF fine, Yellow card, DS relegation (loss of positions in the convoy)." Lidl-Trek DS, 2000CHF fine, Visma DS 100CHF fine?Lobz7722-07-2026
Loading
Write a comment