Tour de France analysis – On the Galibier, UAE Team Emirates brought cycling into the era of the ‘hors catégorie team’

In cycling, the strongest team or rider on paper isn’t always the strongest on the road, as a myriad of outside factors – including rivals, the course, tactics or lack thereof, the weather, and illness – can conspire to falter even the most powerful-seeming lineups on any given race day.

On stage 4 of the Tour de France, raced over the high-mountain passes at Sestrières, Col de Montgenèvre and the Col du Galibier, no such obstacles impeded the progress of the star-packed UAE Team Emirates, however.