UAE Team Emirates-XRG Firmly in Control as Tour de France Reaches First Rest Day

• Tadej Pogačar ends opening week leading the General Classification
• UAE Team Emirates-XRG finish first week with three stage wins, Maillot Jaune, and Maillot Blanc

News | Team –13th July 2026

As the peloton pauses for breath on the first rest day of the 2026 Tour de France, UAE Team Emirates-XRG can be proud of their performances on a dominant opening week that has tested the riders in more ways than one. From mountainous terrain and scorching temperatures to exhilarating racing on the Spanish and French roads, the team have emerged with three stage wins, sitting firmly in control of the general classification.

This year's Tour began with the return of the Team Time Trial in Barcelona; the first time Catalonia has hosted the Grand Depart. The stage was a true test of tactical prowess, with the teams hoping their leaders could peak at the right moment to clock the fastest time. The day belonged to Visma Lease-a-Bike, with Jonas Vingegaard claiming yellow, while Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates-XRG rounded out the podium in a commendable 3rd place, just 12" down.

Stage 2 soon turned into an early shakeout for the peloton, one which UAE Team Emirates-XRG relished. The 182KM hilly stage from Tarragona to Barcelona ended with a tough circuit to finish the race. As the peloton reached the final lap, Brandon McNulty put the hammer down, twisting the screw and upping the pace. Adam Yates was next as the bunch began to wither away. Then came a show of supreme team chemistry. Team leader Tadej Pogačar began his lead-out for young Isaac Del Toro, who took the final bend perfectly and launched his sprint. Right behind him, Pogačar, with no rivals in sight. A UAE Team Emirates-XRG one-two, as two of the best riders in the world crossed the line arm in arm, Del Toro winning a stage on his Tour de France debut.

Stage 3 brough another opportunity for the Emirati team, another hilly stage with a category 3 climb to mark the finish giving Pogačar the motivation to take home another stage win. This time, roles were reversed. As the finish line closed in, Del Toro took to the front, setting a relentless pace that the peloton could just about hold on to. As has become the norm, Pogačar opened up, and no one could follow. A first 2026 Tour de France stage win for Pogačar, a second for UAE Team Emirates-XRG in as many days.

Stages 4 and 5 were ones for the breakaway, Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates-XRG happy to let the groups up the road fight it out. Danish powerhouse Mads Pederson and Dutchman Olav Kooij took their Tour de France stage wins, moments they won't forget.

Then came Stage 6, a true Pyrenean reckoning. The return of the infamous Col du Tourmalet headlined the race's first mountain stage, and with it came the first big GC battle. Racing began from the gun, with Visma Lease-a-Bike desperate to get a man in the breakaway for vital support for Vingegaard later down the line. UAE Team Emirates-XRG were wise to the tactics, with Nils Politt shutting down ever move as it came. As the peloton hit the Tourmalet, UAE Team Emirates-XRG came to life. First Felix Großschartner, then Brandon McNulty, then Adam Yates, as the blistering pace fragmented the bunch.

As the race hit its crucial incline, Del Toro made the move, and only his team captain Pogačar could follow, the two put daylight between themselves and their rivals before Pogačar soared on alone. Vingegaard, Evenepoel, and Seixas had no answers as the race blew apart for the first time. Pogačar descended with precision and poise, extending his lead on the downhill before flying up the Gavarnie-Gèdre to take his second stage win, and the Yellow Jersey. Del Toro out-sprinted Evenepoel to finish third behind Jonas Vingegaard to take his place a top of the young rider classification.

Stages 7, 8, and 9 brought some respite for the peloton with a series of flat finishes that favoured the sprinters. Tim Merlier once again cemented himself as the best fast man on the planet with back-to-back stage wins, before Mathieu van der Poel won commandingly from a breakaway position.

Looking ahead, the race restarts with a 166KM stage carrying 3,800M of climbing, as the GC battle kicks straight back into action following the rest day. Stage 13 will provide the next GC hurdle, with a category 1 climb approaching the finish line keeping UAE Team Emirates-XRG on red alert. Stages 14 and 15 bring the first summit finishes of the 2026 Tour de France, where the race favourites will leave it all on the road before the second rest day arrives.

After a positive opening underpinned by three stage wins and two jerseys in their possession, UAE Team Emirates-XRG are in a strong position following the opening week of the world's biggest cycling race. The mountains are looming, the team's ambitions are clear, and Pogačar sits at the top of the standings.