We all know by now that breakaways and opportunists aren’t being given much slack or chances to win stages at this Tour de France, with many commentators putting that down to UAE Team Emirates-XRG keeping several breaks close in order to launch Tadej Pogačar to stage wins.

This happened on stage 3 and stage 10, with both stages seeing the break given small gaps and then caught in advance of a Pogačar attack and stage win, despite there being no GC threats up the road.

The team have defended this, as have their rivals, with Michael Matthews saying “They don’t necessarily care that the peloton or other people are unhappy that you’re winning a lot. So if you’ve got the resources to do it, why not?”

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But one rider flipped this debate around this week, calling into question whether the attackers themselves are doing all they can to win, and whether all the blame can be attributed solely to UAE.

Jordan Jegat of TotalEnergies, 10th overall last year, hasn’t been fighting for the breaks himself as he focuses on the GC, but had some clear criticisms of how other teams and riders have been racing, particularly in the face of UAE’s dominance.

“I was a little disappointed after the Le Lioran stage [10]. Not with UAE, because we know they’ve been the best for several years now. They always race the same way. Many riders aren’t happy that they win everything. But when you end up in a breakaway, we don’t work together,” he told In de Lederstrui.

He suggested that the breakaway riders often start attacking each other too early, rather than working together further into the stage to keep a gap and ensure they make it to the line.

“Since everyone knows who’s going to win, the riders start racing a little strangely, a little differently. Then attacks come from further back,” he said. “I think some riders aren’t necessarily racing to win, but more to have fun or… I don’t know.”

My view

So far, the break has survived and won on stages 4 and 8, but there is a sense that other stages that looked like breakaway days on paper were stifled by UAE as Pogačar racked up stage wins and GC minutes in the first week.

With that in mind, and with so many teams still winless in this race, there will be added focus on the breakaway stages still to come, with – if Jegat is right – teams in need of finding a new way of working together to stop UAE from winning again.

The first chance comes on Friday on stage 13, which has a flat start and then two climbs packed into the finale, including the Ballon d’Alsace, which should in theory mean a chance for the attackers, particularly if the GC riders want a small rest before the big days to come over the weekend.

“I think there’s a chance for a nice breakaway. Still, the start is flat, so you’ll need a bit of luck to end up in the breakaway. Ideally, a few teammates will be in the breakaway so we can put together a strong climb and, that way, go for the win with a small group,” Jegat said.

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