‘We need to keep our feet on the ground’ – UAE Team Emirates-XRG team morale high but realistic as Tadej Pogačar regains Tour de France yellow jersey

UAE Team Emirates-XRG were delighted at the knock-out blow landed by Tadej Pogačar on the Hautacam stage of the Tour de France, but the squad is also very much aware that 10 days of hard racing still remain between the first high mountain stage and a possible fourth overall victory for the Slovenian in Paris.

Despite this being Pogačar’s third stage win in the 2025 race and a crushing defeat of his rivals, his crash Wednesday provided serious concern for the team. Prior to that the loss of João Almeida was a significant setback, followed to a much lesser degree, by Pavel Sivakov’s uneven climbing performance in the Massif Central stage.