{"id":2023149,"date":"2026-07-02T10:57:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T07:57:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2023149"},"modified":"2026-07-02T10:57:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T07:57:38","slug":"it-absolutely-is-a-game-changer-tadej-pogacars-performance-coach-reveals-more-about-his-preparation-training-tools-and-motivators-ahead-of-the-tour-de-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2023149","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;It absolutely is a game-changer&#8217; \u2013 Tadej Poga\u010dar&#8217;s performance coach reveals more about his preparation, training tools and motivators ahead of the Tour de France"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CR37rojAgVRbGjSjLkmE7G-2560-80.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"m-0 box-border flex flex-row items-center pr-2.5 gap-[15px] w-[278px] h-20 flex-none upnext-article-divider\" role=\"listitem\" aria-label=\"Recommended article 1 of 3\">\n<div class=\"relative flex-none w-20 h-20\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-160-80.jpg.webp 160w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/xYehNdGJyBUwNetTFTfRVL-80-80.jpg.webp 80w\" sizes=\"80px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex items-center justify-center absolute w-4 h-6 left-0 top-0 bg-white\/90 flex-none z-[1]\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"font-normal text-base leading-[17px] tracking-[1.3px] uppercase text-black flex-none\">1<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex flex-col items-center justify-center gap-1.5 w-[173px] h-20 flex-none\">\n<p class=\"font-article-heading font-medium text-base leading-[21px] text-gray-800 w-[173px] line-clamp-3 group-hover:underline\">\n                                    Tour de France team-by-team guide \u2013 Line-up, leaders and ambitions for every squad on the start list\n                                <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"m-0 box-border flex flex-row items-center pr-2.5 gap-[15px] w-[278px] h-20 flex-none upnext-article-divider\" role=\"listitem\" aria-label=\"Recommended article 2 of 3\">\n<div class=\"relative flex-none w-20 h-20\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-160-80.jpg.webp 160w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-80-80.jpg.webp 80w\" sizes=\"80px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex items-center justify-center absolute w-[18px] h-6 left-0 top-0 bg-white\/90 flex-none z-[1]\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"font-normal text-base leading-[17px] tracking-[1.3px] uppercase text-black flex-none\">2<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex flex-col items-center justify-center gap-1.5 w-[173px] h-20 flex-none\">\n<p class=\"font-article-heading font-medium text-base leading-[21px] text-gray-800 w-[173px] line-clamp-3 group-hover:underline\">\n                                    &#8216;Tadej keeps on surprising us&#8217; \u2013 The inside view on how UAE Team Emirates-XRG have constructed Tadej Poga\u010dar&#8217;s assault on a fifth Tour de France\n                                <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"m-0 box-border flex flex-row items-center pr-2.5 gap-[15px] w-[278px] h-20 flex-none\" role=\"listitem\" aria-label=\"Recommended article 3 of 3\">\n<div class=\"relative flex-none w-20 h-20\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/6UVQwoEXi5RjnZGn3ZMMAP-160-80.png.webp 160w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/6UVQwoEXi5RjnZGn3ZMMAP-80-80.png.webp 80w\" sizes=\"80px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex items-center justify-center absolute w-[18px] h-6 left-0 top-0 bg-white\/90 flex-none z-[1]\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"font-normal text-base leading-[17px] tracking-[1.3px] uppercase text-black flex-none\">3<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex flex-col items-center justify-center gap-1.5 w-[173px] h-20 flex-none\">\n<p class=\"font-article-heading font-medium text-base leading-[21px] text-gray-800 w-[173px] line-clamp-3 group-hover:underline\">\n                                    From a crucial TTT to double Alpe d&#8217;Huez \u2013 The key stages that will decide the Tour de France\n                                <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"page-content-onecol flex-1\nnews-article article\n\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"widget-area-group widget-area-group-2col flex flex-wrap box-border\">\n<div id=\"widgetArea16\" class=\"widget-area basis-full md:basis-2\/3 widget-area-g-md-vp-2-3 widget-area-g-lg-vp-2-3 widget-area-g-xl-vp-2-3 page-widget-area-16\">\n<div data-widget-type=\"hero\" id=\"hero\" class=\"clear-both widget widget-hero widget-hero widget-hero-hero widget-hero widget-hero-fter-news\">\n<div class=\"news-article\">\n<header data-component-name=\"Article:Hero\">\n<nav class=\"breadcrumb\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumbs\">\n<ol>\n<li>\nPro Cycling\n<\/li>\n<li>\nTeams &amp; Riders\n<\/li>\n<li>\nUAE Team Emirates-XRG\n<\/li>\n<li>\nTadej Pogacar\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<h1>&#8216;It absolutely is a game-changer&#8217; \u2013 Tadej Poga\u010dar&#8217;s performance coach reveals more about his preparation, training tools and motivators ahead of the Tour de France<\/h1>\n<div class=\"byline-social\">\n<div class=\"vds-byline-block flex flex-row flex-nowrap my-1.5 gap-2 text-left items-start justify-start\" data-component-name=\"Article:BylineBlock\">\n<p>Features<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-auto vds-simple-byline\"><span class=\"inline-block vds-author\"><br \/>\nBy<br \/>\nAlasdair Fotheringham <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex gap-1 vds-byline-with-avatar__meta\"><span class=\"vds-date block font-normal tracking-normal normal-case text-xs\"><br \/>\nPublished<br \/>\n<time data-component-name=\"UI:DateTime\" datetime=\"2026-07-02T10:57:38Z\" class=\"relative-date\"><br \/>\n2 July 2026<br \/>\n<\/time><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"strapline\">In part 2 of this exclusive Q&amp;A, UAE head of performance Jeroen Swart discusses the four-time winner&#8217;s rivals, how Poga\u010dar has ironed out weaknesses and why AI has become so important for the entire team&#8217;s success.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"text-gray-700 flex items-center mx-0 my-5 p-0 justify-start text-left\" id=\"affiliate-disclaimer\" data-component-name=\"AffiliateDisclaimer\" data-hawk-message=\"Affiliate disclaimer removed because hawk deemed there are no affiliate links on this page\">\n<p class=\"text-[color:var(--affiliate-disclaimer--text-color,inherit)] mb-2 text-[length:var(--affiliate-disclaimer--font-size,0.75rem)] leading-[18px] md:text-[13px] [&amp;&gt;a]:text-inherit [&amp;&gt;a]:underline\">\nWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here\u2019s how it works.\n<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-widget-type=\"contentparsed\" id=\"content\" class=\"clear-both widget widget-contentparsed widget-content widget-contentparsed-content widget-content-parsed widget-content-parsed-content_document \">\n<div class=\"wcp-item-content\">\n<section class=\"content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"box less-space hero-image-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"mb-0\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CR37rojAgVRbGjSjLkmE7G-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CR37rojAgVRbGjSjLkmE7G-1600-80.jpg.webp 1600w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CR37rojAgVRbGjSjLkmE7G-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CR37rojAgVRbGjSjLkmE7G-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CR37rojAgVRbGjSjLkmE7G-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CR37rojAgVRbGjSjLkmE7G-750-80.jpg.webp 750w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CR37rojAgVRbGjSjLkmE7G-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CR37rojAgVRbGjSjLkmE7G-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CR37rojAgVRbGjSjLkmE7G-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 600px, 100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"font-article-copy text-(--image--text--color) font-article-copy mt-2\"><span class=\"credit font-article-copy\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"article-body\" class=\"text-copy bodyCopy auto paywall-locker\">\n<div data-analytics-id=\"utility-bar\" id=\"utility-bar\" class=\"font-ui-heading flex justify-between items-center py-2 border-t border-b border-gray-300 border-solid mb-5 mx-auto\" data-component-name=\"UtilityBar\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"utility-bar\">\n<div class=\"flex gap-2 text-[#333] subcontainer\">\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<div data-component-name=\"Social:Dropdown\" role=\"menu\" id=\"utilitybar__dropdown--share\" aria-labelledby=\"utilitybar__button--share\" class=\"absolute left-0 top-full w-44 bg-white rounded-md shadow-md border border-neutral-200 z-[9996] list-none m-0 py-2 px-3 border-solid\">\n<ul class=\"m-0!\">\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>Facebook<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>X<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>Pinterest<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>Email<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-share-this-article\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nShare this article\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\"><span class=\"ml-1 inline-flex h-5 px-2 shrink-0 items-center justify-center self-center overflow-hidden whitespace-nowrap rounded-[10px] bg-primary-500 text-[11px] leading-none font-ui-heading font-semibold text-white\">1<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-join-the-conversation\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nJoin the conversation\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex gap-2 text-[#333] subcontainer\">\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<p>Follow us<\/p>\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-add-us-as-a-preferred-source-on-google\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nAdd us as a preferred source on Google\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-subscribe-to-our-newsletter\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nSubscribe to our newsletter\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"elk-a7370662-7e2d-4095-b41f-2f4a8c83b4b7\">As Tadej Poga\u010dar and UAE Team Emirates-XRG face up to the toughest bike race in the world and the possibility of winning the Tour de France for a fifth time, what everybody wants to know is how he&#8217;s going to try to do it. Because while for the last two years, Poga\u010dar already seemed to be streets ahead of the opposition, at the same time, in order to stay ahead, the battle for improvement in performance can never let up.<\/p>\n<p>In part 1 of this two-part interview, UAE Team Emirates-XRG Head of Performance Jeroen Swart already discussed Poga\u010dar&#8217;s margin for progression, the dangers of mental stress and the specific training for the Tour.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-a7370662-7e2d-4095-b41f-2f4a8c83b4b7-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Here in part 2, he runs the rule over Poga\u010dar&#8217;s rivals, takes an even deeper dive into his training strategies, looks at why he can produce his trademark ultra-long solo breakaways and discusses important changes in nutrition. Finally, Swart looks at one of the key recent developments in the sport that have helped make the UAE team, as well as its top individual rider, the most prolifically successful in the world.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-6 w-full overflow-hidden rounded-[10px] lg:my-8\" data-component-name=\"JwPlayer:Carousel\" data-jwp-carousel data-jwp-carousel-payload=\"{&quot;ids&quot;:{&quot;playerID&quot;:&quot;jYDCcabO&quot;,&quot;searchPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;divID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;fallbackPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;fallbackDivID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;key&quot;:&quot;X9\/mXVGac0NphghLH9hZaqWA5d3dhAM\/Ih07grnEyMLjuO2E&quot;,&quot;tintLogo&quot;:true,&quot;useSearchPlaylist&quot;:false,&quot;enabled&quot;:true},&quot;signPostingEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;signPostingLinkEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;waitForAdLoad&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnDesktop&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnMobile&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnTablet&quot;:false}\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-nowrap items-center justify-between gap-3 bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-header>\n<div class=\"flex min-w-0 shrink items-center\"><span class=\"inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-sm font-article-heading capitalize leading-5 text-white whitespace-nowrap\"><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-desktop\">Latest Videos From<\/span><span class=\"jwp-carousel-brand inline-flex items-center\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/gmvwmhupgi1715762145.svg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] block h-[18px] w-auto shrink-0 brightness-0 invert\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aspect-video w-full min-h-[200px] lg:min-h-[330px] relative overflow-hidden bg-black\" data-jwp-carousel-container>\n<div class=\"absolute inset-0 size-full items-center justify-center bg-white\" data-jwp-carousel-fallback><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/gmvwmhupgi1715762145.svg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] max-h-12 w-auto\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"min-h-[44px] bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-signposting><a class=\"invisible block truncate text-sm font-bold leading-5 text-white underline decoration-solid underline-offset-2\" data-jwp-carousel-signposting-link href target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-jwp-carousel-signposting-title>Watch full video here: <\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"q-a-with-uae-team-emirates-xrg-s-head-of-performance-3\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Q&amp;A with UAE Team Emirates-XRG&#8217;s Head of Performance<\/h2>\n<p id=\"elk-a731a6d3-50da-4af5-9c37-76c5b767bbc1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>Cyclingnews (CN): Following on from what we&#8217;ve already talked about regarding Poga\u010dar&#8217;s performance, can you explain a bit more about how his low-cadence torque work helps him? Or to put it another way, can we still expect to see Tadej racing in the high mountains, trying to drop people using those ultra-fast accelerations?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>Jeroen Swart (JS): <\/strong>Yes we can. But when it comes to the torque work, it is not just about the performance in the moment, though, it&#8217;s also a very key aspect of durability.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\"><span class=\"\n            flex\n            after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]\n            before:content-[&apos;&apos;] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]\n            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold\n        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"flex flex-col gap-0 m-0 max-w-full\">\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-1\" id=\"recirculation-inline-1\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-inline-1\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-inline-1\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">&#8216;Tadej keeps on surprising us&#8217; \u2013 The inside view on how UAE Team Emirates-XRG have constructed Tadej Poga\u010dar&#8217;s assault on a fifth Tour de France<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-2\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-inline-2\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-inline-2\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">By winning the Giro d&#8217;Italia, Jonas Vingegaard has had his strongest Tour de France preparation yet \u2013 but we still have no idea how he&#8217;ll compare with Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ccc] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-3\" id=\"recirculation-inline-3\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-inline-3\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-inline-3\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/7gnF2TkcErBLX48kHnJeQ-250-80.png.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/7gnF2TkcErBLX48kHnJeQ-150-80.png.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">&#8216;We shouldn&#8217;t get too hung up on a kilo or two in a cyclist&#8217; \u2013 No weight concerns for Tadej Poga\u010dar ahead of Tour de France, says UAE&#8217;s Matxin<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Durability is the ability to continue to perform close to your maximum level after a prolonged workload. In some of the highest workload stages in the mountains, after three or four cat. 1 or HC climbs, we&#8217;re looking at total energy expenditure exceeding 4,000 kilojoules, and that&#8217;s when you&#8217;re getting to the point where most individuals demonstrate a loss of ability to produce power for a particular duration.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">An example is, if you did the first climb as hard as you could, there would be a particular power output that you could sustain for 20 minutes, say 450 watts as just a rough example.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-WmghHaezDREvbZpW6UtVjQ\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-WmghHaezDREvbZpW6UtVjQ slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__header\">Get The Leadout Newsletter<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<footer class=\"newsletter-form__footer \">By submitting your information you agree to the Terms &amp; Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.<\/footer>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fancy-box kiosq-b\" id=\"elk-53a82ba6-f0e1-497b-b7bb-7186a1a4c014\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"fancy_box-title\">Part 1<\/div>\n<div class=\"fancy_box_body\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>&#8216;Tadej keeps on surprising us&#8217; \u2013 The inside view on how UAE Team Emirates-XRG have constructed Tadej Poga\u010dar&#8217;s assault on a fifth Tour de France<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"elk-a969d164-c05d-4d70-a50b-329d76befc7b\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Most athletes will start to show a decline in that ability after 3,000 or 3,500 kilojoules of energy have been expended. Also how that energy is expended is important, too, because we know that any work done above critical power \u2013 which is your power output that you can sustain for a prolonged duration, 45 minutes to an hour \u2013 has a more detrimental effect on your ability to produce power later on.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">So we look at the various different aspects that can enhance durability because that&#8217;s typically when the difference is made is on the final col, the final ascent to the line and after 4,000 or 4,500 kilojoules of energy expenditure.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Previously, that was a weakness of Tadej. When he lost the Tour de France in 2022, that was on a stage that exceeded 4,200 kilojoules of energy expenditure. So one thing that the strength work does is it maintains the ability of muscles to perform.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\"><span class=\"\n            flex\n            after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]\n            before:content-[&apos;&apos;] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]\n            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold\n        \"><br \/>\n            What to read next<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"flex flex-col gap-0 m-0 max-w-full\">\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-1\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2-1\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-2-inline-1\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-2-inline-1\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/a2TXqrefnh7iNTXMrfDUHA-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/a2TXqrefnh7iNTXMrfDUHA-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">&#8216;Never go on social media&#8217; \u2013 How top teams try to ensure fans&#8217; wild Tour de France fever doesn&#8217;t keep their star riders awake at night<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-2\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2-2\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-2-inline-2\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-2-inline-2\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">The year of the team time trial \u2013 How teams have prepared for the Tour de France opening TTT from January to July<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ccc] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-3\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2-3\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-2-inline-3\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-2-inline-3\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-250-80.png.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-150-80.png.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">Who will win the Tour de France 2026? Our definitive ranking of the favourites for the yellow jersey<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: Can you explain in non-scientific terms how that has changed for Pogacar?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS:<\/strong> If you lift heavy weights and then have to lift a very light weight repeatedly, your ability to lift that light weight repeatedly will be enhanced compared to if you hadn&#8217;t lifted heavy weights in the first place.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">That&#8217;s an overly simplistic explanation, but I&#8217;m sure you understand what I mean by that. If you have some extra strength in those muscles, then you can harness that strength late in a race or late in a stage, and that improves the durability, the ability to perform close to your fresh level.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Tadej normally loses less than 1% of his fresh performance despite having done 4,500 kilojoules of work, which is why he&#8217;s able to do these long attacks late in a race and get away and stay away. Other riders are starting to have that fatigue and that&#8217;s one of his key attributes, his ability to have exceptional durability at a very high workload. In Tadej&#8217;s case, his durability is exceptional.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-b2d9061d-7a39-4a28-b5c4-5c434ea81dca\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FJ4vkHwArHuPdqkmyxeS4F-1024-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FJ4vkHwArHuPdqkmyxeS4F-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FJ4vkHwArHuPdqkmyxeS4F-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FJ4vkHwArHuPdqkmyxeS4F-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FJ4vkHwArHuPdqkmyxeS4F-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FJ4vkHwArHuPdqkmyxeS4F-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Poga\u010dar has outperformed his rivals on the hardest Tour stages in recent years <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-3ad8c47c-8a48-484d-959c-59a10c610925\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: Is also fair to say that his metabolism is also critical? Because I remember reading somewhere that his<\/strong><strong> carbohydrate intake<\/strong><strong> had gone up from 60 or 80 to 120 grams in an hour.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS:<\/strong> Most of the teams are doing that now, and the research has shown that that is actually beneficial, and that is a key part of it. But one thing is actually ingesting the carbohydrate, yet there&#8217;s no point ingesting the carbohydrate if you can&#8217;t use it.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">You have to train the guts to absorb it, so the receptors that absorb glucose and fructose, which are two different receptors \u2013 both can be trained and increased, particularly the fructose component has increased. In years gone past, most of the drinks were two thirds maltodextrin, which is essentially glucose, and one third fructose. Then the science started to emerge that showed that there was a capacity to increase the fructose side of things even further.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">So most of the newer drinks are a 1 to 0.8 ratio of glucose to fructose, so there&#8217;s an increase in the fructose component, and that allows us to go up to 110 to 120 grams an hour.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">On top of that, the latest trend now is to also include lactate as a fuel source, and that allows you to absorb even more energy than just the glucose and fructose that is in traditionally most energy drinks.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Most people in the past thought of lactate as a toxic byproduct of metabolism. It&#8217;s not. It&#8217;s a very essential step to maintain energy supply. And it&#8217;s an essential fuel. Your brain and your heart and muscles that are working at a lower intensity, selectively use lactate as a fuel. So if you can continue to fuel the brain, the liver, the heart, and other muscles with lactate, then the other muscles can continue to use the glucose and fructose and therefore you increase your total energy supply.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">I think these kinds of nutritional strategies have been one of the very key elements that have seen the increase in performance across the peloton in triathlons and in other endurance sports in the last five years. Fueling has become a huge factor in terms of the enhancement in performance that we&#8217;ve seen. It&#8217;s really a big change that&#8217;s happened in the last 5 years, and we can&#8217;t underestimate that contribution to the performances that we&#8217;ve seen.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: Is there anything else?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS: <\/strong>The other part is also training. So my former colleague [at UAE Team Emirates-XRG] I\u00f1igo San Milan introduced the zone 2 training, and that zone 2 training is specifically targeted at enhancing the ability of the body to use carbohydrates and fats, but also very much the carbohydrate side in an oxidative way. In other words, to use them within mitochondria [inside cells] to produce energy, which is manyfold more efficient than using them glycolytically, which is when you produce lactate.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">So enhancing that capacity is a key part of our training regime as well, the zone 2, what we now call metabolic training. We&#8217;ve shifted a little bit. I&#8217;m going to stop talking there now because otherwise we&#8217;d tell our competitors too much, but we&#8217;ve specifically focused on that as well.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">But there are so many different facets to performance. It&#8217;s really a lot of different layers that we add into the cake.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-b0c00785-5a65-407a-a1e3-f0325bee8827\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/y7KR9BSFz5kForrLysKV4F-1024-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/y7KR9BSFz5kForrLysKV4F-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/y7KR9BSFz5kForrLysKV4F-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/y7KR9BSFz5kForrLysKV4F-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/y7KR9BSFz5kForrLysKV4F-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/y7KR9BSFz5kForrLysKV4F-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Fueling has become a huge element of performance <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-714a89f4-4fa7-4454-98b0-4b3f8d13105c\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: Are there any other areas regarding performance that have become more interesting for you right now or in recent years&#8217;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS: <\/strong>I will tell you one. I think the most interesting one at the moment is one that gets talked about a lot but I don&#8217;t think is necessarily being used at the moment in a really fundamentally game-changing way other than maybe with us and a handful of teams, if that. And that is data integration.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">We&#8217;ve spent the last five years very focused on it. That means taking all the disparate sources of data we get data from our group devices and these are multiple: heart rate variability, resting heart rate, sleep metrics, power meters on the bikes, the CORE sensor which measure the rider&#8217;s temperature, self-reported wellness questionnaires, subjective comments from our coaches that are uploaded onto our data integration platform on a weekly basis. If the rider is not healthy, we get comments from the medical team. This rider has a niggle in his hamstring, This rider has a slight cough, otherwise feeling well and so on, those kinds of comments.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">We have developed a very, very comprehensive data integration platform with our team in analogue, and we&#8217;ve now utilised the AI capability of that to generate the most in-depth integrated reports on a monthly basis. We literally create a 20-plus page report which describes all the facets of a rider&#8217;s training, performance, wellness, et cetera, in a single cohesive report which has a narrative as well.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">What the AI is able to do so much better than a human being is that it&#8217;s able to take all these different data sources and look at them and the temporal relationship between them.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">That includes, for instance, if a rider goes to the laboratory and has his routine blood tests, we upload all of the blood results as well. Everything is integrated into a single cohesive narrative where we can really see how all these different variables, what they&#8217;re saying and how they&#8217;re saying the same thing.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">So if there&#8217;s a combined signal that comes from multiple different sources, it gives us that absolute clarity about which direction to go in and amazingly, the AI is even giving very concrete objectives, too.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: Such as?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS: <\/strong>Advice in terms of &#8216;Don&#8217;t do another high intensity training session with this athlete until his heart rate variability score exceeds 150 for three days in a row&#8217;, for instance. That&#8217;s just a rough example, but that kind of advice means the coaches can then go back and say, &#8216;OK [do this]&#8217; and we have rationale for it as well \u2013 why is this the case? Why shouldn&#8217;t we be pushing harder now? Why should we back off? Why should we do a different type of training?<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">That has been the most interesting and from a developmental perspective, one of the most profound things that we are seeing emerging now: that ability to obtain this very cohesive data integration and reporting.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: Is it fair to call it a game-changer?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS: <\/strong>Absolutely. It is. It is a game-changer. It gives us so much more clarity in terms of why we should do things and what we should do, and it saves a huge amount of time.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">If I had to work on generating one of those reports for a single athlete, whether it&#8217;s Tadej or Isaac [del Toro] or anybody else, it would probably take me a few days of focused work. Now we can generate 40 of them in an hour.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">That&#8217;s the ability of AI and that is where AI is valuable. You hear a lot about how AI has not proven to be as fruitful as it should be and that it&#8217;s costly and so on, but in our case it truly is having a profound effect.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-dfa09856-3e05-4307-affd-1dcfe076c151\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/cdwAWsuT54mf8L2a44654F-1024-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/cdwAWsuT54mf8L2a44654F-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/cdwAWsuT54mf8L2a44654F-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/cdwAWsuT54mf8L2a44654F-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/cdwAWsuT54mf8L2a44654F-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/cdwAWsuT54mf8L2a44654F-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">AI is an important training tool for UAE <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-4433c386-a1f8-4d62-9842-2f789eb1262b\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: Is that something that you think has affected the amount of success that the team has had?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS: <\/strong>I think so. It&#8217;s been a step-by-step process. Two years ago, we had all of the data integrated, and we could see it all visually and we could delve into it and we could look at it. And the AI two years ago would give us some interesting feedback prompted specifically by the user, you know, where you had to say &#8216;I&#8217;m interested in this relationship. Tell me about that&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The new level of AI is where we don&#8217;t have to prompt it anymore. We just unleash it on the data and it comes back now with a very profound, in-depth and really meaningful analysis and insights as well as recommendations.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">That is far more beneficial than it was two years ago, so we&#8217;ve continued, progressively to utilise this kind of technology &#8211; and it just continues to improve.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: A lot of what we&#8217;ve talked about feels like light years away from the last rider to win the Tour five times, Miguel Indurain, but one thing that remains relevant, maybe is that when asked which rival he feared the most, he&#8217;d always say &#8216;Myself&#8217;.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>At a time when there&#8217;s been a lot of talk about Paul Seixas and the performance of <\/strong><strong>Jonas Vingegaard <\/strong><strong>this year in the Giro d&#8217;Italia, is Indurain&#8217;s attitude the one that Tadej takes, or is it more about using his rivals as reference points \u2013 like Poga\u010dar did, in a sense, with Seixas in Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS: <\/strong>I think it&#8217;s definitely a matter of looking towards what rivals are doing, and I think Paul Sexas certainly is an absolute revelation to be at the level he&#8217;s at at age 19. We don&#8217;t really know what he can do in a Grand Tour. It&#8217;s going to be absolutely fascinating to see whether he has the durability to be able to last into the third week and at the end of those very severe stages in excess of 4,000 or 4.500 kilojoules.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Does he have that ability? Science would say that it&#8217;s something that has to evolve over time. It&#8217;s why we originally had the U23 category and it was recognised back in the day, too it just didn&#8217;t have a name. But has he already got that capability?<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Jonas [Vinegegaard] has had a phenomenally good Giro. He seemed to be reaching a progressively higher level throughout, and I hesitate to say it but he was maybe riding within himself in the final mountain stages because he certainly wasn&#8217;t challenged. So, I think we have to look at our rivals and they certainly are a big motivator. And I think it&#8217;s going to be a really great Tour de France too, and one that will be exciting to watch.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-2273f542-ceb1-4d75-9a86-99899fb6a50e\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><em><strong>The world\u2019s biggest bike race deserves world-class coverage. Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our unrivalled reporting of the 2026 Tour de France. From Barcelona through to Paris, our experienced team will bring you breaking news, expert insight, and in-depth coverage from every stage as the battle for the yellow jersey plays out. Plus, access the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! <\/strong><\/em><u><em><strong>Find out more.<\/strong><\/em><\/u><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block mb-5\" id=\"articleTag\" data-component-name=\"PostArticleLinks\" data-nosnippet data-mrf-recirculation=\"post-article-links\">\n<div class=\"border-b border-b-black border-solid py-2.5 text-black font-bold uppercase\">TOPICS<\/div>\n<nav class=\"py-2.5 flex gap-2.5 flex-wrap\" data-analytics-id=\"article-tag\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-tag\">\n<p>Road<\/p>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"slice-container-authorBio-WmghHaezDREvbZpW6UtVjQ\" class=\"slice-container slice-author-bio authorBio-WmghHaezDREvbZpW6UtVjQ slice-container-authorBio\">\n<div class=\"author author__default-layout author--separator author--collapsible\" data-hydrate=\"true\">\n<div class=\"author__header\">\n<div class=\"author__avatar-block\">\n<figure class=\"image-wrapped__wrapper\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"false\">\n<div class=\"image-wrapped__widthsetter\">\n<div class=\"image-wrapped__aspect-padding\">\n<div><source class=\"author__avatar image-wrapped__image image__image\" type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5QLhaPay9asJvmaNsCjFVZ-140-80.jpg.webp 140w\" sizes=\"99vw\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5QLhaPay9asJvmaNsCjFVZ.jpg\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5QLhaPay9asJvmaNsCjFVZ.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5QLhaPay9asJvmaNsCjFVZ.jpg\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-slice-image=\"true\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author__heading\">\n<div class=\"author__name\">Alasdair Fotheringham<\/div>\n<div class=\"author__social\">\n<nav class=\"button-social-group author__social-buttons\" aria-labelledby=\"button-social-group- author__social-buttons\">\n<div id=\"button-social-group- author__social-buttons\">Social Links Navigation<\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author__bio-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"author__biography\">\n<p>Alasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991. He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one, as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain. As well as working for <em>Cyclingnews<\/em>, he has also written for <em>The Independent<\/em>,\u00a0 <em>The Guardian<\/em>,\u00a0 <em>ProCycling<\/em>, <em>The Express<\/em> and <em>Reuters<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"relative max-w-[1070px] viafoura-twig-component mt-6 mx-4 lg:mx-0\" data-component-name=\"Viafoura:Comments\" data-nosnippet data-community-guidelines-text=\"&lt;p class=&apos;vfcustom-community-guidelines&apos;&gt;Please follow our &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/about\/#section-community-guidelines&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;community guidelines&lt;\/a&gt;.&lt;\/p&gt;\" data-join-the-conversation-text=\"Join the Conversation\">\n<div class=\"absolute top-0 left-0 w-full h-full flex items-center justify-center z-50 bg-white\/90 border-1 rounded-b-[var(--comment-widget-border-radius,0)]\">\n<div class=\"p-2 text-center\">\n<p class=\"mb-3 text-lg!\">You must confirm your public display name before commenting<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3 text-sm!\">Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"mx-2 my-5 sm:mx-0\">\n<aside class=\"w-full\" data-nosnippet data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-stacked\">\n<div data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-adviser:hybrid\">\n<div class=\"text-white py-4 px-3 mb-4 bg-[#333] uppercase font-bold custom-header-styles\">Read more<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-1 gap-4 mt-4 mb-5\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;Tadej keeps on surprising us&#8217; \u2013 The inside view on how UAE Team Emirates-XRG have constructed Tadej Poga\u010dar&#8217;s assault on a fifth Tour de France<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">By winning the Giro d&#8217;Italia, Jonas Vingegaard has had his strongest Tour de France preparation yet \u2013 but we still have no idea how he&#8217;ll compare with Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/7gnF2TkcErBLX48kHnJeQ-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/7gnF2TkcErBLX48kHnJeQ-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/7gnF2TkcErBLX48kHnJeQ-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/7gnF2TkcErBLX48kHnJeQ-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/7gnF2TkcErBLX48kHnJeQ-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;We shouldn&#8217;t get too hung up on a kilo or two in a cyclist&#8217; \u2013 No weight concerns for Tadej Poga\u010dar ahead of Tour de France, says UAE&#8217;s Matxin<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/a2TXqrefnh7iNTXMrfDUHA-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/a2TXqrefnh7iNTXMrfDUHA-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/a2TXqrefnh7iNTXMrfDUHA-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/a2TXqrefnh7iNTXMrfDUHA-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/a2TXqrefnh7iNTXMrfDUHA-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;Never go on social media&#8217; \u2013 How top teams try to ensure fans&#8217; wild Tour de France fever doesn&#8217;t keep their star riders awake at night<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Racing<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">The year of the team time trial \u2013 How teams have prepared for the Tour de France opening TTT from January to July<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Who will win the Tour de France 2026? Our definitive ranking of the favourites for the yellow jersey<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside class=\"w-full\" data-nosnippet data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-stacked\">\n<div data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-solr:latest-category\">\n<div class=\"text-white py-4 px-3 mb-4 bg-[#333] uppercase font-bold custom-header-styles\">Latest in Teams &amp; Riders<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-1 gap-4 mt-4 mb-5\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/b5QvCtPG95Un75CCNwGZ7S-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/b5QvCtPG95Un75CCNwGZ7S-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/b5QvCtPG95Un75CCNwGZ7S-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/b5QvCtPG95Un75CCNwGZ7S-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/b5QvCtPG95Un75CCNwGZ7S-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;If we have to take a step back, we will&#8217; &#8211; Despite imminent Tour de France Grand D\u00e9part on home soil, long-established Spanish ProTeam risks folding at end of 2026<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Tadej who? Paul Seixas mania is gripping the home nation ahead of the Tour de France, and the 19-year-old is fully embracing it<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mQfgAfcKQGN9S2SS5pZUtJ-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mQfgAfcKQGN9S2SS5pZUtJ-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mQfgAfcKQGN9S2SS5pZUtJ-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mQfgAfcKQGN9S2SS5pZUtJ-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mQfgAfcKQGN9S2SS5pZUtJ-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;Cycling is tougher than football&#8217; \u2013 Spanish soccer legend Andr\u00e9s Iniesta is not at the World Cup but at the Tour de France as he aims to make NSN a team &#8216;fans can love&#8217;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tACiKA5ikM7UxGJnJspaY9-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tACiKA5ikM7UxGJnJspaY9-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tACiKA5ikM7UxGJnJspaY9-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tACiKA5ikM7UxGJnJspaY9-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tACiKA5ikM7UxGJnJspaY9-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Former Alpe d&#8217;Huez stage winner Tom Pidcock confirmed to lead Pinarello-Q36.5 as versatile squad &#8216;look for opportunities every day&#8217; at Tour de France<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nrv5QvMBr5RHf9PosL9saa-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nrv5QvMBr5RHf9PosL9saa-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nrv5QvMBr5RHf9PosL9saa-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nrv5QvMBr5RHf9PosL9saa-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nrv5QvMBr5RHf9PosL9saa-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;You can&#8217;t wallow in what could have been&#8217; \u2013 Geraint Thomas says Netcompany Ineos ready to pivot from Tour de France GC to stage hunting<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/PFkhCKrkRijSphmjYpQJ3a-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/PFkhCKrkRijSphmjYpQJ3a-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/PFkhCKrkRijSphmjYpQJ3a-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/PFkhCKrkRijSphmjYpQJ3a-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/PFkhCKrkRijSphmjYpQJ3a-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Remarkable recovery sees Josh Tarling go from broken collarbone surgery to Tour de France debut in just three weeks<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside class=\"w-full\" data-nosnippet data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-stacked\">\n<div data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-solr:latest-articletype\">\n<div class=\"text-white py-4 px-3 mb-4 bg-[#333] uppercase font-bold custom-header-styles\">Latest in Features<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-1 gap-4 mt-4 mb-5\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mZSK2J6G442b7A6mM6KUWe-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mZSK2J6G442b7A6mM6KUWe-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mZSK2J6G442b7A6mM6KUWe-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mZSK2J6G442b7A6mM6KUWe-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mZSK2J6G442b7A6mM6KUWe-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Racing<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">What I hope to witness at this year&#8217;s Tour de France \u2013 The birth of Paul Seixas, the wrath of Remco and great racing every day<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nNZdgKXADFtdt2gJKXskJT-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nNZdgKXADFtdt2gJKXskJT-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nNZdgKXADFtdt2gJKXskJT-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nNZdgKXADFtdt2gJKXskJT-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nNZdgKXADFtdt2gJKXskJT-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Pro Cycling<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;Few people thought Riis and Telekom would be the ones to win&#8217; \u2013 The 1996 Tour de France was a seismic moment for cycling, but where is the triumphant squad 30 years on?<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JATQQHZsha48dDDKM5bVXa-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JATQQHZsha48dDDKM5bVXa-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JATQQHZsha48dDDKM5bVXa-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JATQQHZsha48dDDKM5bVXa-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JATQQHZsha48dDDKM5bVXa-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;A free mind equals fast legs&#8217; \u2013 How my mental state helped me wear the yellow jersey for two days at an unforgettable Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Racing<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">The year of the team time trial \u2013 How teams have prepared for the Tour de France opening TTT from January to July<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/YzVReE7BYHQc5qqJbJxp5Y-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/YzVReE7BYHQc5qqJbJxp5Y-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/YzVReE7BYHQc5qqJbJxp5Y-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/YzVReE7BYHQc5qqJbJxp5Y-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/YzVReE7BYHQc5qqJbJxp5Y-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Bikes<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Win Fin, Flow Fork, Speed Sniffer: Specialized launches &#8216;fastest road bike ever made&#8217; in the S-Works Tarmac SL9<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zantGmAoguwfRAJctuWQFa-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zantGmAoguwfRAJctuWQFa-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zantGmAoguwfRAJctuWQFa-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zantGmAoguwfRAJctuWQFa-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zantGmAoguwfRAJctuWQFa-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Racing<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Club des Cinq: How Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault and Indurain won their fifth Tour de France, and the history that Tadej Poga\u010dar seeks to emulate<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"widgetArea17\" class=\"widget-area md:basis-1\/3 widget-area-g-md-vp-1-3 widget-area-g-lg-vp-1-3 widget-area-g-xl-vp-1-3 page-widget-area-17\">\n<div data-widget-type=\"dynamic\" id=\"popular-data\" class=\"clear-both widget widget-dynamic widget-popular-data widget-dynamic-popular-data widget-dynamic-fter-popular-box\">\n<div class=\"wdn-fte-pb pos-relative space-t20\n\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-popularBox\" class=\"slice-container popular-box-slice popularBox slice-container-popularBox\">\n<section data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"popular-box\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__label\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__label__tab popular-box__label__tab--active\" role=\"heading\">LATEST ARTICLES<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ol class=\"popular-box__articles-list popular-box__articles-list--active\">\n<li class=\"popular-box__article-list\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__container\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__image-wrapper\">\n<div><source class=\"popular-box__article-list__image image__image\" type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg-320-80.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg-640-80.jpg.webp 640w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg-720-80.jpg.webp 720w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w\" sizes=\"99vw\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg.jpg\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg.jpg\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-slice-image=\"true\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__content\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__number-text\">1<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__heading\">Tadej who? Paul Seixas mania is gripping the home nation ahead of the Tour de France, and the 19-year-old is fully embracing it<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"popular-box__article-list\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__container\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__content\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__number-text\">2<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__heading\">There&#8217;s finally a new Giro d&#8217;Italia boss as former Lidl-Trek manager bags top race organisation role<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"popular-box__article-list\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__container\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__content\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__number-text\">3<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__heading\">&#8216;It absolutely is a game-changer&#8217; \u2013 Tadej Poga\u010dar&#8217;s performance coach reveals more about his preparation, training tools and motivators ahead of the Tour de France<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"popular-box__article-list\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__container\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__content\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__number-text\">4<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__heading\">&#8216;Cycling is tougher than football&#8217; \u2013 Spanish soccer legend Andr\u00e9s Iniesta is not at the World Cup but at the Tour de France as he aims to make NSN a team &#8216;fans can love&#8217;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"popular-box__article-list\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__container\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__content\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__number-text\">5<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__heading\">Up close and personal with Matej Mohori\u010d&#8217;s custom Bianchi Specialissima RC for the Tour de France<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"page-content-onecol flex-1\nnews-article article\n\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"widget-area-group widget-area-group-2col flex flex-wrap box-border\">\n<div id=\"widgetArea16\" class=\"widget-area basis-full md:basis-2\/3 widget-area-g-md-vp-2-3 widget-area-g-lg-vp-2-3 widget-area-g-xl-vp-2-3 page-widget-area-16\">\n<div data-widget-type=\"hero\" id=\"hero\" class=\"clear-both widget widget-hero widget-hero widget-hero-hero widget-hero widget-hero-fter-news\">\n<div class=\"news-article\">\n<header data-component-name=\"Article:Hero\">\n<nav class=\"breadcrumb\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumbs\">\n<ol>\n<li>\nPro Cycling\n<\/li>\n<li>\nTeams &amp; Riders\n<\/li>\n<li>\nUAE Team Emirates-XRG\n<\/li>\n<li>\nTadej Pogacar\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<h1>&#8216;It absolutely is a game-changer&#8217; \u2013 Tadej Poga\u010dar&#8217;s performance coach reveals more about his preparation, training tools and motivators ahead of the Tour de France<\/h1>\n<div class=\"byline-social\">\n<div class=\"vds-byline-block flex flex-row flex-nowrap my-1.5 gap-2 text-left items-start justify-start\" data-component-name=\"Article:BylineBlock\">\n<p>Features<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-auto vds-simple-byline\"><span class=\"inline-block vds-author\"><br \/>\nBy<br \/>\nAlasdair Fotheringham <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex gap-1 vds-byline-with-avatar__meta\"><span class=\"vds-date block font-normal tracking-normal normal-case text-xs\"><br \/>\nPublished<br \/>\n<time data-component-name=\"UI:DateTime\" datetime=\"2026-07-02T10:57:38Z\" class=\"relative-date\"><br \/>\n2 July 2026<br \/>\n<\/time><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"strapline\">In part 2 of this exclusive Q&amp;A, UAE head of performance Jeroen Swart discusses the four-time winner&#8217;s rivals, how Poga\u010dar has ironed out weaknesses and why AI has become so important for the entire team&#8217;s success.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"text-gray-700 flex items-center mx-0 my-5 p-0 justify-start text-left\" id=\"affiliate-disclaimer\" data-component-name=\"AffiliateDisclaimer\" data-hawk-message=\"Affiliate disclaimer removed because hawk deemed there are no affiliate links on this page\">\n<p class=\"text-[color:var(--affiliate-disclaimer--text-color,inherit)] mb-2 text-[length:var(--affiliate-disclaimer--font-size,0.75rem)] leading-[18px] md:text-[13px] [&amp;&gt;a]:text-inherit [&amp;&gt;a]:underline\">\nWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here\u2019s how it works.\n<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-widget-type=\"contentparsed\" id=\"content\" class=\"clear-both widget widget-contentparsed widget-content widget-contentparsed-content widget-content-parsed widget-content-parsed-content_document \">\n<div class=\"wcp-item-content\">\n<section class=\"content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"box less-space hero-image-wrapper\">\n<figure class=\"mb-0\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CR37rojAgVRbGjSjLkmE7G-1920-80.jpg.webp 1920w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CR37rojAgVRbGjSjLkmE7G-1600-80.jpg.webp 1600w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CR37rojAgVRbGjSjLkmE7G-1200-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CR37rojAgVRbGjSjLkmE7G-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CR37rojAgVRbGjSjLkmE7G-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CR37rojAgVRbGjSjLkmE7G-750-80.jpg.webp 750w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CR37rojAgVRbGjSjLkmE7G-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CR37rojAgVRbGjSjLkmE7G-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CR37rojAgVRbGjSjLkmE7G-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 600px, 100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"font-article-copy text-(--image--text--color) font-article-copy mt-2\"><span class=\"credit font-article-copy\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"article-body\" class=\"text-copy bodyCopy auto paywall-locker\">\n<div data-analytics-id=\"utility-bar\" id=\"utility-bar\" class=\"font-ui-heading flex justify-between items-center py-2 border-t border-b border-gray-300 border-solid mb-5 mx-auto\" data-component-name=\"UtilityBar\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"utility-bar\">\n<div class=\"flex gap-2 text-[#333] subcontainer\">\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<div data-component-name=\"Social:Dropdown\" role=\"menu\" id=\"utilitybar__dropdown--share\" aria-labelledby=\"utilitybar__button--share\" class=\"absolute left-0 top-full w-44 bg-white rounded-md shadow-md border border-neutral-200 z-[9996] list-none m-0 py-2 px-3 border-solid\">\n<ul class=\"m-0!\">\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>Facebook<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>X<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>Pinterest<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>Email<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-share-this-article\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nShare this article\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\"><span class=\"ml-1 inline-flex h-5 px-2 shrink-0 items-center justify-center self-center overflow-hidden whitespace-nowrap rounded-[10px] bg-primary-500 text-[11px] leading-none font-ui-heading font-semibold text-white\">1<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-join-the-conversation\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nJoin the conversation\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex gap-2 text-[#333] subcontainer\">\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<p>Follow us<\/p>\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-add-us-as-a-preferred-source-on-google\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nAdd us as a preferred source on Google\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-subscribe-to-our-newsletter\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nSubscribe to our newsletter\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"elk-a7370662-7e2d-4095-b41f-2f4a8c83b4b7\">As Tadej Poga\u010dar and UAE Team Emirates-XRG face up to the toughest bike race in the world and the possibility of winning the Tour de France for a fifth time, what everybody wants to know is how he&#8217;s going to try to do it. Because while for the last two years, Poga\u010dar already seemed to be streets ahead of the opposition, at the same time, in order to stay ahead, the battle for improvement in performance can never let up.<\/p>\n<p>In part 1 of this two-part interview, UAE Team Emirates-XRG Head of Performance Jeroen Swart already discussed Poga\u010dar&#8217;s margin for progression, the dangers of mental stress and the specific training for the Tour.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-a7370662-7e2d-4095-b41f-2f4a8c83b4b7-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Here in part 2, he runs the rule over Poga\u010dar&#8217;s rivals, takes an even deeper dive into his training strategies, looks at why he can produce his trademark ultra-long solo breakaways and discusses important changes in nutrition. Finally, Swart looks at one of the key recent developments in the sport that have helped make the UAE team, as well as its top individual rider, the most prolifically successful in the world.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-6 w-full overflow-hidden rounded-[10px] lg:my-8\" data-component-name=\"JwPlayer:Carousel\" data-jwp-carousel data-jwp-carousel-payload=\"{&quot;ids&quot;:{&quot;playerID&quot;:&quot;jYDCcabO&quot;,&quot;searchPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;divID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;fallbackPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;fallbackDivID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;key&quot;:&quot;X9\/mXVGac0NphghLH9hZaqWA5d3dhAM\/Ih07grnEyMLjuO2E&quot;,&quot;tintLogo&quot;:true,&quot;useSearchPlaylist&quot;:false,&quot;enabled&quot;:true},&quot;signPostingEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;signPostingLinkEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;waitForAdLoad&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnDesktop&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnMobile&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnTablet&quot;:false}\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-nowrap items-center justify-between gap-3 bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-header>\n<div class=\"flex min-w-0 shrink items-center\"><span class=\"inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-sm font-article-heading capitalize leading-5 text-white whitespace-nowrap\"><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-desktop\">Latest Videos From<\/span><span class=\"jwp-carousel-brand inline-flex items-center\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/gmvwmhupgi1715762145.svg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] block h-[18px] w-auto shrink-0 brightness-0 invert\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aspect-video w-full min-h-[200px] lg:min-h-[330px] relative overflow-hidden bg-black\" data-jwp-carousel-container>\n<div class=\"absolute inset-0 size-full items-center justify-center bg-white\" data-jwp-carousel-fallback><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/gmvwmhupgi1715762145.svg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] max-h-12 w-auto\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"min-h-[44px] bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-signposting><a class=\"invisible block truncate text-sm font-bold leading-5 text-white underline decoration-solid underline-offset-2\" data-jwp-carousel-signposting-link href target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-jwp-carousel-signposting-title>Watch full video here: <\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"q-a-with-uae-team-emirates-xrg-s-head-of-performance-3\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Q&amp;A with UAE Team Emirates-XRG&#8217;s Head of Performance<\/h2>\n<p id=\"elk-a731a6d3-50da-4af5-9c37-76c5b767bbc1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>Cyclingnews (CN): Following on from what we&#8217;ve already talked about regarding Poga\u010dar&#8217;s performance, can you explain a bit more about how his low-cadence torque work helps him? Or to put it another way, can we still expect to see Tadej racing in the high mountains, trying to drop people using those ultra-fast accelerations?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>Jeroen Swart (JS): <\/strong>Yes we can. But when it comes to the torque work, it is not just about the performance in the moment, though, it&#8217;s also a very key aspect of durability.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\"><span class=\"\n            flex\n            after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]\n            before:content-[&apos;&apos;] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]\n            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold\n        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"flex flex-col gap-0 m-0 max-w-full\">\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-1\" id=\"recirculation-inline-1\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-inline-1\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-inline-1\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">&#8216;Tadej keeps on surprising us&#8217; \u2013 The inside view on how UAE Team Emirates-XRG have constructed Tadej Poga\u010dar&#8217;s assault on a fifth Tour de France<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-2\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-inline-2\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-inline-2\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">By winning the Giro d&#8217;Italia, Jonas Vingegaard has had his strongest Tour de France preparation yet \u2013 but we still have no idea how he&#8217;ll compare with Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ccc] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-3\" id=\"recirculation-inline-3\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-inline-3\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-inline-3\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/7gnF2TkcErBLX48kHnJeQ-250-80.png.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/7gnF2TkcErBLX48kHnJeQ-150-80.png.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">&#8216;We shouldn&#8217;t get too hung up on a kilo or two in a cyclist&#8217; \u2013 No weight concerns for Tadej Poga\u010dar ahead of Tour de France, says UAE&#8217;s Matxin<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Durability is the ability to continue to perform close to your maximum level after a prolonged workload. In some of the highest workload stages in the mountains, after three or four cat. 1 or HC climbs, we&#8217;re looking at total energy expenditure exceeding 4,000 kilojoules, and that&#8217;s when you&#8217;re getting to the point where most individuals demonstrate a loss of ability to produce power for a particular duration.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">An example is, if you did the first climb as hard as you could, there would be a particular power output that you could sustain for 20 minutes, say 450 watts as just a rough example.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-WmghHaezDREvbZpW6UtVjQ\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-WmghHaezDREvbZpW6UtVjQ slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__header\">Get The Leadout Newsletter<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<footer class=\"newsletter-form__footer \">By submitting your information you agree to the Terms &amp; Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.<\/footer>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fancy-box kiosq-b\" id=\"elk-53a82ba6-f0e1-497b-b7bb-7186a1a4c014\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"fancy_box-title\">Part 1<\/div>\n<div class=\"fancy_box_body\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>&#8216;Tadej keeps on surprising us&#8217; \u2013 The inside view on how UAE Team Emirates-XRG have constructed Tadej Poga\u010dar&#8217;s assault on a fifth Tour de France<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"elk-a969d164-c05d-4d70-a50b-329d76befc7b\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Most athletes will start to show a decline in that ability after 3,000 or 3,500 kilojoules of energy have been expended. Also how that energy is expended is important, too, because we know that any work done above critical power \u2013 which is your power output that you can sustain for a prolonged duration, 45 minutes to an hour \u2013 has a more detrimental effect on your ability to produce power later on.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">So we look at the various different aspects that can enhance durability because that&#8217;s typically when the difference is made is on the final col, the final ascent to the line and after 4,000 or 4,500 kilojoules of energy expenditure.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Previously, that was a weakness of Tadej. When he lost the Tour de France in 2022, that was on a stage that exceeded 4,200 kilojoules of energy expenditure. So one thing that the strength work does is it maintains the ability of muscles to perform.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\"><span class=\"\n            flex\n            after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]\n            before:content-[&apos;&apos;] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]\n            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold\n        \"><br \/>\n            What to read next<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"flex flex-col gap-0 m-0 max-w-full\">\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-1\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2-1\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-2-inline-1\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-2-inline-1\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/a2TXqrefnh7iNTXMrfDUHA-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/a2TXqrefnh7iNTXMrfDUHA-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">&#8216;Never go on social media&#8217; \u2013 How top teams try to ensure fans&#8217; wild Tour de France fever doesn&#8217;t keep their star riders awake at night<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-2\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2-2\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-2-inline-2\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-2-inline-2\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">The year of the team time trial \u2013 How teams have prepared for the Tour de France opening TTT from January to July<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ccc] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-3\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2-3\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-2-inline-3\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-2-inline-3\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-250-80.png.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-150-80.png.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">Who will win the Tour de France 2026? Our definitive ranking of the favourites for the yellow jersey<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: Can you explain in non-scientific terms how that has changed for Pogacar?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS:<\/strong> If you lift heavy weights and then have to lift a very light weight repeatedly, your ability to lift that light weight repeatedly will be enhanced compared to if you hadn&#8217;t lifted heavy weights in the first place.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">That&#8217;s an overly simplistic explanation, but I&#8217;m sure you understand what I mean by that. If you have some extra strength in those muscles, then you can harness that strength late in a race or late in a stage, and that improves the durability, the ability to perform close to your fresh level.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Tadej normally loses less than 1% of his fresh performance despite having done 4,500 kilojoules of work, which is why he&#8217;s able to do these long attacks late in a race and get away and stay away. Other riders are starting to have that fatigue and that&#8217;s one of his key attributes, his ability to have exceptional durability at a very high workload. In Tadej&#8217;s case, his durability is exceptional.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-b2d9061d-7a39-4a28-b5c4-5c434ea81dca\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FJ4vkHwArHuPdqkmyxeS4F-1024-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FJ4vkHwArHuPdqkmyxeS4F-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FJ4vkHwArHuPdqkmyxeS4F-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FJ4vkHwArHuPdqkmyxeS4F-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FJ4vkHwArHuPdqkmyxeS4F-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FJ4vkHwArHuPdqkmyxeS4F-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Poga\u010dar has outperformed his rivals on the hardest Tour stages in recent years <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-3ad8c47c-8a48-484d-959c-59a10c610925\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: Is also fair to say that his metabolism is also critical? Because I remember reading somewhere that his<\/strong><strong> carbohydrate intake<\/strong><strong> had gone up from 60 or 80 to 120 grams in an hour.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS:<\/strong> Most of the teams are doing that now, and the research has shown that that is actually beneficial, and that is a key part of it. But one thing is actually ingesting the carbohydrate, yet there&#8217;s no point ingesting the carbohydrate if you can&#8217;t use it.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">You have to train the guts to absorb it, so the receptors that absorb glucose and fructose, which are two different receptors \u2013 both can be trained and increased, particularly the fructose component has increased. In years gone past, most of the drinks were two thirds maltodextrin, which is essentially glucose, and one third fructose. Then the science started to emerge that showed that there was a capacity to increase the fructose side of things even further.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">So most of the newer drinks are a 1 to 0.8 ratio of glucose to fructose, so there&#8217;s an increase in the fructose component, and that allows us to go up to 110 to 120 grams an hour.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">On top of that, the latest trend now is to also include lactate as a fuel source, and that allows you to absorb even more energy than just the glucose and fructose that is in traditionally most energy drinks.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Most people in the past thought of lactate as a toxic byproduct of metabolism. It&#8217;s not. It&#8217;s a very essential step to maintain energy supply. And it&#8217;s an essential fuel. Your brain and your heart and muscles that are working at a lower intensity, selectively use lactate as a fuel. So if you can continue to fuel the brain, the liver, the heart, and other muscles with lactate, then the other muscles can continue to use the glucose and fructose and therefore you increase your total energy supply.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">I think these kinds of nutritional strategies have been one of the very key elements that have seen the increase in performance across the peloton in triathlons and in other endurance sports in the last five years. Fueling has become a huge factor in terms of the enhancement in performance that we&#8217;ve seen. It&#8217;s really a big change that&#8217;s happened in the last 5 years, and we can&#8217;t underestimate that contribution to the performances that we&#8217;ve seen.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: Is there anything else?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS: <\/strong>The other part is also training. So my former colleague [at UAE Team Emirates-XRG] I\u00f1igo San Milan introduced the zone 2 training, and that zone 2 training is specifically targeted at enhancing the ability of the body to use carbohydrates and fats, but also very much the carbohydrate side in an oxidative way. In other words, to use them within mitochondria [inside cells] to produce energy, which is manyfold more efficient than using them glycolytically, which is when you produce lactate.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">So enhancing that capacity is a key part of our training regime as well, the zone 2, what we now call metabolic training. We&#8217;ve shifted a little bit. I&#8217;m going to stop talking there now because otherwise we&#8217;d tell our competitors too much, but we&#8217;ve specifically focused on that as well.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">But there are so many different facets to performance. It&#8217;s really a lot of different layers that we add into the cake.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-b0c00785-5a65-407a-a1e3-f0325bee8827\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/y7KR9BSFz5kForrLysKV4F-1024-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/y7KR9BSFz5kForrLysKV4F-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/y7KR9BSFz5kForrLysKV4F-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/y7KR9BSFz5kForrLysKV4F-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/y7KR9BSFz5kForrLysKV4F-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/y7KR9BSFz5kForrLysKV4F-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Fueling has become a huge element of performance <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-714a89f4-4fa7-4454-98b0-4b3f8d13105c\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: Are there any other areas regarding performance that have become more interesting for you right now or in recent years&#8217;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS: <\/strong>I will tell you one. I think the most interesting one at the moment is one that gets talked about a lot but I don&#8217;t think is necessarily being used at the moment in a really fundamentally game-changing way other than maybe with us and a handful of teams, if that. And that is data integration.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">We&#8217;ve spent the last five years very focused on it. That means taking all the disparate sources of data we get data from our group devices and these are multiple: heart rate variability, resting heart rate, sleep metrics, power meters on the bikes, the CORE sensor which measure the rider&#8217;s temperature, self-reported wellness questionnaires, subjective comments from our coaches that are uploaded onto our data integration platform on a weekly basis. If the rider is not healthy, we get comments from the medical team. This rider has a niggle in his hamstring, This rider has a slight cough, otherwise feeling well and so on, those kinds of comments.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">We have developed a very, very comprehensive data integration platform with our team in analogue, and we&#8217;ve now utilised the AI capability of that to generate the most in-depth integrated reports on a monthly basis. We literally create a 20-plus page report which describes all the facets of a rider&#8217;s training, performance, wellness, et cetera, in a single cohesive report which has a narrative as well.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">What the AI is able to do so much better than a human being is that it&#8217;s able to take all these different data sources and look at them and the temporal relationship between them.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">That includes, for instance, if a rider goes to the laboratory and has his routine blood tests, we upload all of the blood results as well. Everything is integrated into a single cohesive narrative where we can really see how all these different variables, what they&#8217;re saying and how they&#8217;re saying the same thing.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">So if there&#8217;s a combined signal that comes from multiple different sources, it gives us that absolute clarity about which direction to go in and amazingly, the AI is even giving very concrete objectives, too.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: Such as?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS: <\/strong>Advice in terms of &#8216;Don&#8217;t do another high intensity training session with this athlete until his heart rate variability score exceeds 150 for three days in a row&#8217;, for instance. That&#8217;s just a rough example, but that kind of advice means the coaches can then go back and say, &#8216;OK [do this]&#8217; and we have rationale for it as well \u2013 why is this the case? Why shouldn&#8217;t we be pushing harder now? Why should we back off? Why should we do a different type of training?<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">That has been the most interesting and from a developmental perspective, one of the most profound things that we are seeing emerging now: that ability to obtain this very cohesive data integration and reporting.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: Is it fair to call it a game-changer?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS: <\/strong>Absolutely. It is. It is a game-changer. It gives us so much more clarity in terms of why we should do things and what we should do, and it saves a huge amount of time.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">If I had to work on generating one of those reports for a single athlete, whether it&#8217;s Tadej or Isaac [del Toro] or anybody else, it would probably take me a few days of focused work. Now we can generate 40 of them in an hour.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">That&#8217;s the ability of AI and that is where AI is valuable. You hear a lot about how AI has not proven to be as fruitful as it should be and that it&#8217;s costly and so on, but in our case it truly is having a profound effect.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-dfa09856-3e05-4307-affd-1dcfe076c151\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/cdwAWsuT54mf8L2a44654F-1024-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/cdwAWsuT54mf8L2a44654F-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/cdwAWsuT54mf8L2a44654F-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/cdwAWsuT54mf8L2a44654F-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/cdwAWsuT54mf8L2a44654F-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/cdwAWsuT54mf8L2a44654F-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">AI is an important training tool for UAE <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-4433c386-a1f8-4d62-9842-2f789eb1262b\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: Is that something that you think has affected the amount of success that the team has had?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS: <\/strong>I think so. It&#8217;s been a step-by-step process. Two years ago, we had all of the data integrated, and we could see it all visually and we could delve into it and we could look at it. And the AI two years ago would give us some interesting feedback prompted specifically by the user, you know, where you had to say &#8216;I&#8217;m interested in this relationship. Tell me about that&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The new level of AI is where we don&#8217;t have to prompt it anymore. We just unleash it on the data and it comes back now with a very profound, in-depth and really meaningful analysis and insights as well as recommendations.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">That is far more beneficial than it was two years ago, so we&#8217;ve continued, progressively to utilise this kind of technology &#8211; and it just continues to improve.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: A lot of what we&#8217;ve talked about feels like light years away from the last rider to win the Tour five times, Miguel Indurain, but one thing that remains relevant, maybe is that when asked which rival he feared the most, he&#8217;d always say &#8216;Myself&#8217;.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>At a time when there&#8217;s been a lot of talk about Paul Seixas and the performance of <\/strong><strong>Jonas Vingegaard <\/strong><strong>this year in the Giro d&#8217;Italia, is Indurain&#8217;s attitude the one that Tadej takes, or is it more about using his rivals as reference points \u2013 like Poga\u010dar did, in a sense, with Seixas in Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS: <\/strong>I think it&#8217;s definitely a matter of looking towards what rivals are doing, and I think Paul Sexas certainly is an absolute revelation to be at the level he&#8217;s at at age 19. We don&#8217;t really know what he can do in a Grand Tour. It&#8217;s going to be absolutely fascinating to see whether he has the durability to be able to last into the third week and at the end of those very severe stages in excess of 4,000 or 4.500 kilojoules.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Does he have that ability? Science would say that it&#8217;s something that has to evolve over time. It&#8217;s why we originally had the U23 category and it was recognised back in the day, too it just didn&#8217;t have a name. But has he already got that capability?<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Jonas [Vinegegaard] has had a phenomenally good Giro. He seemed to be reaching a progressively higher level throughout, and I hesitate to say it but he was maybe riding within himself in the final mountain stages because he certainly wasn&#8217;t challenged. So, I think we have to look at our rivals and they certainly are a big motivator. And I think it&#8217;s going to be a really great Tour de France too, and one that will be exciting to watch.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-2273f542-ceb1-4d75-9a86-99899fb6a50e\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><em><strong>The world\u2019s biggest bike race deserves world-class coverage. Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our unrivalled reporting of the 2026 Tour de France. From Barcelona through to Paris, our experienced team will bring you breaking news, expert insight, and in-depth coverage from every stage as the battle for the yellow jersey plays out. Plus, access the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! <\/strong><\/em><u><em><strong>Find out more.<\/strong><\/em><\/u><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block mb-5\" id=\"articleTag\" data-component-name=\"PostArticleLinks\" data-nosnippet data-mrf-recirculation=\"post-article-links\">\n<div class=\"border-b border-b-black border-solid py-2.5 text-black font-bold uppercase\">TOPICS<\/div>\n<nav class=\"py-2.5 flex gap-2.5 flex-wrap\" data-analytics-id=\"article-tag\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-tag\">\n<p>Road<\/p>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"slice-container-authorBio-WmghHaezDREvbZpW6UtVjQ\" class=\"slice-container slice-author-bio authorBio-WmghHaezDREvbZpW6UtVjQ slice-container-authorBio\">\n<div class=\"author author__default-layout author--separator author--collapsible\" data-hydrate=\"true\">\n<div class=\"author__header\">\n<div class=\"author__avatar-block\">\n<figure class=\"image-wrapped__wrapper\" data-bordeaux-image-check=\"false\">\n<div class=\"image-wrapped__widthsetter\">\n<div class=\"image-wrapped__aspect-padding\">\n<div><source class=\"author__avatar image-wrapped__image image__image\" type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5QLhaPay9asJvmaNsCjFVZ-140-80.jpg.webp 140w\" sizes=\"99vw\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5QLhaPay9asJvmaNsCjFVZ.jpg\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5QLhaPay9asJvmaNsCjFVZ.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/5QLhaPay9asJvmaNsCjFVZ.jpg\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-slice-image=\"true\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author__heading\">\n<div class=\"author__name\">Alasdair Fotheringham<\/div>\n<div class=\"author__social\">\n<nav class=\"button-social-group author__social-buttons\" aria-labelledby=\"button-social-group- author__social-buttons\">\n<div id=\"button-social-group- author__social-buttons\">Social Links Navigation<\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author__bio-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"author__biography\">\n<p>Alasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991. He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one, as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain. As well as working for <em>Cyclingnews<\/em>, he has also written for <em>The Independent<\/em>,\u00a0 <em>The Guardian<\/em>,\u00a0 <em>ProCycling<\/em>, <em>The Express<\/em> and <em>Reuters<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"relative max-w-[1070px] viafoura-twig-component mt-6 mx-4 lg:mx-0\" data-component-name=\"Viafoura:Comments\" data-nosnippet data-community-guidelines-text=\"&lt;p class=&apos;vfcustom-community-guidelines&apos;&gt;Please follow our &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/about\/#section-community-guidelines&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;community guidelines&lt;\/a&gt;.&lt;\/p&gt;\" data-join-the-conversation-text=\"Join the Conversation\">\n<div class=\"absolute top-0 left-0 w-full h-full flex items-center justify-center z-50 bg-white\/90 border-1 rounded-b-[var(--comment-widget-border-radius,0)]\">\n<div class=\"p-2 text-center\">\n<p class=\"mb-3 text-lg!\">You must confirm your public display name before commenting<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3 text-sm!\">Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"mx-2 my-5 sm:mx-0\">\n<aside class=\"w-full\" data-nosnippet data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-stacked\">\n<div data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-adviser:hybrid\">\n<div class=\"text-white py-4 px-3 mb-4 bg-[#333] uppercase font-bold custom-header-styles\">Read more<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-1 gap-4 mt-4 mb-5\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;Tadej keeps on surprising us&#8217; \u2013 The inside view on how UAE Team Emirates-XRG have constructed Tadej Poga\u010dar&#8217;s assault on a fifth Tour de France<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">By winning the Giro d&#8217;Italia, Jonas Vingegaard has had his strongest Tour de France preparation yet \u2013 but we still have no idea how he&#8217;ll compare with Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/7gnF2TkcErBLX48kHnJeQ-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/7gnF2TkcErBLX48kHnJeQ-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/7gnF2TkcErBLX48kHnJeQ-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/7gnF2TkcErBLX48kHnJeQ-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/7gnF2TkcErBLX48kHnJeQ-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;We shouldn&#8217;t get too hung up on a kilo or two in a cyclist&#8217; \u2013 No weight concerns for Tadej Poga\u010dar ahead of Tour de France, says UAE&#8217;s Matxin<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/a2TXqrefnh7iNTXMrfDUHA-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/a2TXqrefnh7iNTXMrfDUHA-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/a2TXqrefnh7iNTXMrfDUHA-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/a2TXqrefnh7iNTXMrfDUHA-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/a2TXqrefnh7iNTXMrfDUHA-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;Never go on social media&#8217; \u2013 How top teams try to ensure fans&#8217; wild Tour de France fever doesn&#8217;t keep their star riders awake at night<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Racing<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">The year of the team time trial \u2013 How teams have prepared for the Tour de France opening TTT from January to July<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Who will win the Tour de France 2026? Our definitive ranking of the favourites for the yellow jersey<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside class=\"w-full\" data-nosnippet data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-stacked\">\n<div data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-solr:latest-category\">\n<div class=\"text-white py-4 px-3 mb-4 bg-[#333] uppercase font-bold custom-header-styles\">Latest in Teams &amp; Riders<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-1 gap-4 mt-4 mb-5\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/b5QvCtPG95Un75CCNwGZ7S-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/b5QvCtPG95Un75CCNwGZ7S-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/b5QvCtPG95Un75CCNwGZ7S-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/b5QvCtPG95Un75CCNwGZ7S-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/b5QvCtPG95Un75CCNwGZ7S-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;If we have to take a step back, we will&#8217; &#8211; Despite imminent Tour de France Grand D\u00e9part on home soil, long-established Spanish ProTeam risks folding at end of 2026<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Tadej who? Paul Seixas mania is gripping the home nation ahead of the Tour de France, and the 19-year-old is fully embracing it<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mQfgAfcKQGN9S2SS5pZUtJ-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mQfgAfcKQGN9S2SS5pZUtJ-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mQfgAfcKQGN9S2SS5pZUtJ-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mQfgAfcKQGN9S2SS5pZUtJ-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mQfgAfcKQGN9S2SS5pZUtJ-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;Cycling is tougher than football&#8217; \u2013 Spanish soccer legend Andr\u00e9s Iniesta is not at the World Cup but at the Tour de France as he aims to make NSN a team &#8216;fans can love&#8217;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tACiKA5ikM7UxGJnJspaY9-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tACiKA5ikM7UxGJnJspaY9-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tACiKA5ikM7UxGJnJspaY9-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tACiKA5ikM7UxGJnJspaY9-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/tACiKA5ikM7UxGJnJspaY9-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Former Alpe d&#8217;Huez stage winner Tom Pidcock confirmed to lead Pinarello-Q36.5 as versatile squad &#8216;look for opportunities every day&#8217; at Tour de France<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nrv5QvMBr5RHf9PosL9saa-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nrv5QvMBr5RHf9PosL9saa-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nrv5QvMBr5RHf9PosL9saa-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nrv5QvMBr5RHf9PosL9saa-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nrv5QvMBr5RHf9PosL9saa-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;You can&#8217;t wallow in what could have been&#8217; \u2013 Geraint Thomas says Netcompany Ineos ready to pivot from Tour de France GC to stage hunting<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/PFkhCKrkRijSphmjYpQJ3a-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/PFkhCKrkRijSphmjYpQJ3a-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/PFkhCKrkRijSphmjYpQJ3a-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/PFkhCKrkRijSphmjYpQJ3a-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/PFkhCKrkRijSphmjYpQJ3a-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Remarkable recovery sees Josh Tarling go from broken collarbone surgery to Tour de France debut in just three weeks<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside class=\"w-full\" data-nosnippet data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-stacked\">\n<div data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-solr:latest-articletype\">\n<div class=\"text-white py-4 px-3 mb-4 bg-[#333] uppercase font-bold custom-header-styles\">Latest in Features<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-1 gap-4 mt-4 mb-5\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mZSK2J6G442b7A6mM6KUWe-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mZSK2J6G442b7A6mM6KUWe-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mZSK2J6G442b7A6mM6KUWe-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mZSK2J6G442b7A6mM6KUWe-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/mZSK2J6G442b7A6mM6KUWe-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Racing<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">What I hope to witness at this year&#8217;s Tour de France \u2013 The birth of Paul Seixas, the wrath of Remco and great racing every day<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nNZdgKXADFtdt2gJKXskJT-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nNZdgKXADFtdt2gJKXskJT-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nNZdgKXADFtdt2gJKXskJT-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nNZdgKXADFtdt2gJKXskJT-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/nNZdgKXADFtdt2gJKXskJT-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Pro Cycling<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;Few people thought Riis and Telekom would be the ones to win&#8217; \u2013 The 1996 Tour de France was a seismic moment for cycling, but where is the triumphant squad 30 years on?<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JATQQHZsha48dDDKM5bVXa-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JATQQHZsha48dDDKM5bVXa-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JATQQHZsha48dDDKM5bVXa-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JATQQHZsha48dDDKM5bVXa-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JATQQHZsha48dDDKM5bVXa-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Teams &amp; Riders<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">&#8216;A free mind equals fast legs&#8217; \u2013 How my mental state helped me wear the yellow jersey for two days at an unforgettable Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Racing<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">The year of the team time trial \u2013 How teams have prepared for the Tour de France opening TTT from January to July<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/YzVReE7BYHQc5qqJbJxp5Y-840-80.png.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/YzVReE7BYHQc5qqJbJxp5Y-650-80.png.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/YzVReE7BYHQc5qqJbJxp5Y-500-80.png.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/YzVReE7BYHQc5qqJbJxp5Y-450-80.png.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/YzVReE7BYHQc5qqJbJxp5Y-320-80.png.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Bikes<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Win Fin, Flow Fork, Speed Sniffer: Specialized launches &#8216;fastest road bike ever made&#8217; in the S-Works Tarmac SL9<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"aspect-[var(--img-listing-aspect-ratio,16\/9)] relative mb-3.5\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zantGmAoguwfRAJctuWQFa-840-80.jpg.webp 840w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zantGmAoguwfRAJctuWQFa-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zantGmAoguwfRAJctuWQFa-500-80.jpg.webp 500w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zantGmAoguwfRAJctuWQFa-450-80.jpg.webp 450w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/zantGmAoguwfRAJctuWQFa-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 925px, (min-width: 700px) 450px, calc(100vw - 48px)\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"custom-subheading-styles\">Racing<\/span><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block custom-text-styles\">Club des Cinq: How Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault and Indurain won their fifth Tour de France, and the history that Tadej Poga\u010dar seeks to emulate<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"relative recirc-feed sponsored-card min-h-[250px]\" data-recirc-id=\"article-river-stacked-ads:native-cards\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-river-ads\" data-nosnippet data-ad-slot-path=\"feed-sponsored-post\" data-attribute-device=\"all\">\n<div class=\"max-w-full sponsored-post--placeholder animate-pulse\">\n<div class=\"relative!\"><span class=\"text-base text-black font-bold mx-0 my-2.5 p-0 block bg-gray-100\">\u00a0<br \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"widgetArea17\" class=\"widget-area md:basis-1\/3 widget-area-g-md-vp-1-3 widget-area-g-lg-vp-1-3 widget-area-g-xl-vp-1-3 page-widget-area-17\">\n<div data-widget-type=\"dynamic\" id=\"popular-data\" class=\"clear-both widget widget-dynamic widget-popular-data widget-dynamic-popular-data widget-dynamic-fter-popular-box\">\n<div class=\"wdn-fte-pb pos-relative space-t20\n\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-popularBox\" class=\"slice-container popular-box-slice popularBox slice-container-popularBox\">\n<section data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"popular-box\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__label\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__label__tab popular-box__label__tab--active\" role=\"heading\">LATEST ARTICLES<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ol class=\"popular-box__articles-list popular-box__articles-list--active\">\n<li class=\"popular-box__article-list\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__container\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__image-wrapper\">\n<div><source class=\"popular-box__article-list__image image__image\" type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg-320-80.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg-640-80.jpg.webp 640w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg-720-80.jpg.webp 720w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg-1280-80.jpg.webp 1280w\" sizes=\"99vw\" data-normal=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg.jpg\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/ye9EETeBWqGfGuYcyVdECg.jpg\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-slice-image=\"true\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__content\">\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__number-text\">1<\/div>\n<div class=\"popular-box__article-list__heading\">Tadej who? 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Here\u2019s how it works.\n<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"article-body\" class=\"text-copy bodyCopy auto paywall-locker\">\n<div data-analytics-id=\"utility-bar\" id=\"utility-bar\" class=\"font-ui-heading flex justify-between items-center py-2 border-t border-b border-gray-300 border-solid mb-5 mx-auto\" data-component-name=\"UtilityBar\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"utility-bar\">\n<div class=\"flex gap-2 text-[#333] subcontainer\">\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<div data-component-name=\"Social:Dropdown\" role=\"menu\" id=\"utilitybar__dropdown--share\" aria-labelledby=\"utilitybar__button--share\" class=\"absolute left-0 top-full w-44 bg-white rounded-md shadow-md border border-neutral-200 z-[9996] list-none m-0 py-2 px-3 border-solid\">\n<ul class=\"m-0!\">\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>Facebook<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>X<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>Pinterest<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"!p-0 !m-0 list-none border-b border-gray-200 border-solid\">\n<p>Email<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-share-this-article\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nShare this article\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\"><span class=\"ml-1 inline-flex h-5 px-2 shrink-0 items-center justify-center self-center overflow-hidden whitespace-nowrap rounded-[10px] bg-primary-500 text-[11px] leading-none font-ui-heading font-semibold text-white\">1<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-join-the-conversation\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nJoin the conversation\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex gap-2 text-[#333] subcontainer\">\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<p>Follow us<\/p>\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-add-us-as-a-preferred-source-on-google\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nAdd us as a preferred source on Google\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"relative tooltip-container\" role=\"tooltip\">\n<div class=\"font-ui-heading max-sm:hidden tooltip absolute left-1\/2 bg-gray-900 text-white text-xs leading-none px-3 py-1.5 rounded-md z-[10001] whitespace-nowrap\" id=\"tooltip-subscribe-to-our-newsletter\" role=\"tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\nSubscribe to our newsletter\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"elk-a7370662-7e2d-4095-b41f-2f4a8c83b4b7\">As Tadej Poga\u010dar and UAE Team Emirates-XRG face up to the toughest bike race in the world and the possibility of winning the Tour de France for a fifth time, what everybody wants to know is how he&#8217;s going to try to do it. Because while for the last two years, Poga\u010dar already seemed to be streets ahead of the opposition, at the same time, in order to stay ahead, the battle for improvement in performance can never let up.<\/p>\n<p>In part 1 of this two-part interview, UAE Team Emirates-XRG Head of Performance Jeroen Swart already discussed Poga\u010dar&#8217;s margin for progression, the dangers of mental stress and the specific training for the Tour.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-a7370662-7e2d-4095-b41f-2f4a8c83b4b7-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Here in part 2, he runs the rule over Poga\u010dar&#8217;s rivals, takes an even deeper dive into his training strategies, looks at why he can produce his trademark ultra-long solo breakaways and discusses important changes in nutrition. Finally, Swart looks at one of the key recent developments in the sport that have helped make the UAE team, as well as its top individual rider, the most prolifically successful in the world.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-6 w-full overflow-hidden rounded-[10px] lg:my-8\" data-component-name=\"JwPlayer:Carousel\" data-jwp-carousel data-jwp-carousel-payload=\"{&quot;ids&quot;:{&quot;playerID&quot;:&quot;jYDCcabO&quot;,&quot;searchPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;divID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;fallbackPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;fallbackDivID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;key&quot;:&quot;X9\/mXVGac0NphghLH9hZaqWA5d3dhAM\/Ih07grnEyMLjuO2E&quot;,&quot;tintLogo&quot;:true,&quot;useSearchPlaylist&quot;:false,&quot;enabled&quot;:true},&quot;signPostingEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;signPostingLinkEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;waitForAdLoad&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnDesktop&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnMobile&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnTablet&quot;:false}\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-nowrap items-center justify-between gap-3 bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-header>\n<div class=\"flex min-w-0 shrink items-center\"><span class=\"inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-sm font-article-heading capitalize leading-5 text-white whitespace-nowrap\"><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-desktop\">Latest Videos From<\/span><span class=\"jwp-carousel-brand inline-flex items-center\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/gmvwmhupgi1715762145.svg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] block h-[18px] w-auto shrink-0 brightness-0 invert\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aspect-video w-full min-h-[200px] lg:min-h-[330px] relative overflow-hidden bg-black\" data-jwp-carousel-container>\n<div class=\"absolute inset-0 size-full items-center justify-center bg-white\" data-jwp-carousel-fallback><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/gmvwmhupgi1715762145.svg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] max-h-12 w-auto\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"min-h-[44px] bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-signposting><a class=\"invisible block truncate text-sm font-bold leading-5 text-white underline decoration-solid underline-offset-2\" data-jwp-carousel-signposting-link href target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-jwp-carousel-signposting-title>Watch full video here: <\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"q-a-with-uae-team-emirates-xrg-s-head-of-performance-3\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Q&amp;A with UAE Team Emirates-XRG&#8217;s Head of Performance<\/h2>\n<p id=\"elk-a731a6d3-50da-4af5-9c37-76c5b767bbc1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>Cyclingnews (CN): Following on from what we&#8217;ve already talked about regarding Poga\u010dar&#8217;s performance, can you explain a bit more about how his low-cadence torque work helps him? Or to put it another way, can we still expect to see Tadej racing in the high mountains, trying to drop people using those ultra-fast accelerations?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>Jeroen Swart (JS): <\/strong>Yes we can. But when it comes to the torque work, it is not just about the performance in the moment, though, it&#8217;s also a very key aspect of durability.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\"><span class=\"\n            flex\n            after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]\n            before:content-[&apos;&apos;] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]\n            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold\n        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"flex flex-col gap-0 m-0 max-w-full\">\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-1\" id=\"recirculation-inline-1\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-inline-1\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-inline-1\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/s2mu99cSc9cQb8sSAxSoJR-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">&#8216;Tadej keeps on surprising us&#8217; \u2013 The inside view on how UAE Team Emirates-XRG have constructed Tadej Poga\u010dar&#8217;s assault on a fifth Tour de France<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-2\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-inline-2\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-inline-2\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/rAsAd4XPiLEaLrbBawWTL3-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">By winning the Giro d&#8217;Italia, Jonas Vingegaard has had his strongest Tour de France preparation yet \u2013 but we still have no idea how he&#8217;ll compare with Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ccc] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-3\" id=\"recirculation-inline-3\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-inline-3\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-inline-3\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/7gnF2TkcErBLX48kHnJeQ-250-80.png.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/7gnF2TkcErBLX48kHnJeQ-150-80.png.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">&#8216;We shouldn&#8217;t get too hung up on a kilo or two in a cyclist&#8217; \u2013 No weight concerns for Tadej Poga\u010dar ahead of Tour de France, says UAE&#8217;s Matxin<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Durability is the ability to continue to perform close to your maximum level after a prolonged workload. In some of the highest workload stages in the mountains, after three or four cat. 1 or HC climbs, we&#8217;re looking at total energy expenditure exceeding 4,000 kilojoules, and that&#8217;s when you&#8217;re getting to the point where most individuals demonstrate a loss of ability to produce power for a particular duration.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">An example is, if you did the first climb as hard as you could, there would be a particular power output that you could sustain for 20 minutes, say 450 watts as just a rough example.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-WmghHaezDREvbZpW6UtVjQ\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-WmghHaezDREvbZpW6UtVjQ slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__header\">Get The Leadout Newsletter<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<footer class=\"newsletter-form__footer \">By submitting your information you agree to the Terms &amp; Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.<\/footer>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fancy-box kiosq-b\" id=\"elk-53a82ba6-f0e1-497b-b7bb-7186a1a4c014\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"fancy_box-title\">Part 1<\/div>\n<div class=\"fancy_box_body\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>&#8216;Tadej keeps on surprising us&#8217; \u2013 The inside view on how UAE Team Emirates-XRG have constructed Tadej Poga\u010dar&#8217;s assault on a fifth Tour de France<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"elk-a969d164-c05d-4d70-a50b-329d76befc7b\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Most athletes will start to show a decline in that ability after 3,000 or 3,500 kilojoules of energy have been expended. Also how that energy is expended is important, too, because we know that any work done above critical power \u2013 which is your power output that you can sustain for a prolonged duration, 45 minutes to an hour \u2013 has a more detrimental effect on your ability to produce power later on.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">So we look at the various different aspects that can enhance durability because that&#8217;s typically when the difference is made is on the final col, the final ascent to the line and after 4,000 or 4,500 kilojoules of energy expenditure.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Previously, that was a weakness of Tadej. When he lost the Tour de France in 2022, that was on a stage that exceeded 4,200 kilojoules of energy expenditure. So one thing that the strength work does is it maintains the ability of muscles to perform.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\"><span class=\"\n            flex\n            after:content-[&apos;&apos;] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]\n            before:content-[&apos;&apos;] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]\n            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold\n        \"><br \/>\n            What to read next<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"flex flex-col gap-0 m-0 max-w-full\">\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-1\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2-1\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-2-inline-1\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-2-inline-1\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/a2TXqrefnh7iNTXMrfDUHA-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/a2TXqrefnh7iNTXMrfDUHA-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">&#8216;Never go on social media&#8217; \u2013 How top teams try to ensure fans&#8217; wild Tour de France fever doesn&#8217;t keep their star riders awake at night<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ededed] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-2\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2-2\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-2-inline-2\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-2-inline-2\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-250-80.jpg.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/JGNFQoAf8aa3pDw5s4Z5Qk-150-80.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">The year of the team time trial \u2013 How teams have prepared for the Tour de France opening TTT from January to July<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none border-b border-solid border-[#ccc] py-2\" data-recirculation-id=\"recirculation-card-3\" id=\"recirculation-inline-2-3\" data-analytics-id=\"recirculation-2-inline-3\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"recirculation-2-inline-3\">\n    <source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-250-80.png.webp 250w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/WHEfA8PfrwjRikdcTccTK-150-80.png.webp 150w\" sizes=\"150px\" \/><span class=\"w-full text-base font-[var(--article-river-item--font-weight,500)] font-article-heading line-clamp-3 md:line-clamp-2\">Who will win the Tour de France 2026? Our definitive ranking of the favourites for the yellow jersey<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: Can you explain in non-scientific terms how that has changed for Pogacar?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS:<\/strong> If you lift heavy weights and then have to lift a very light weight repeatedly, your ability to lift that light weight repeatedly will be enhanced compared to if you hadn&#8217;t lifted heavy weights in the first place.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">That&#8217;s an overly simplistic explanation, but I&#8217;m sure you understand what I mean by that. If you have some extra strength in those muscles, then you can harness that strength late in a race or late in a stage, and that improves the durability, the ability to perform close to your fresh level.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Tadej normally loses less than 1% of his fresh performance despite having done 4,500 kilojoules of work, which is why he&#8217;s able to do these long attacks late in a race and get away and stay away. Other riders are starting to have that fatigue and that&#8217;s one of his key attributes, his ability to have exceptional durability at a very high workload. In Tadej&#8217;s case, his durability is exceptional.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-b2d9061d-7a39-4a28-b5c4-5c434ea81dca\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FJ4vkHwArHuPdqkmyxeS4F-1024-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FJ4vkHwArHuPdqkmyxeS4F-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FJ4vkHwArHuPdqkmyxeS4F-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FJ4vkHwArHuPdqkmyxeS4F-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FJ4vkHwArHuPdqkmyxeS4F-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/FJ4vkHwArHuPdqkmyxeS4F-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Poga\u010dar has outperformed his rivals on the hardest Tour stages in recent years <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-3ad8c47c-8a48-484d-959c-59a10c610925\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: Is also fair to say that his metabolism is also critical? Because I remember reading somewhere that his<\/strong><strong> carbohydrate intake<\/strong><strong> had gone up from 60 or 80 to 120 grams in an hour.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS:<\/strong> Most of the teams are doing that now, and the research has shown that that is actually beneficial, and that is a key part of it. But one thing is actually ingesting the carbohydrate, yet there&#8217;s no point ingesting the carbohydrate if you can&#8217;t use it.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">You have to train the guts to absorb it, so the receptors that absorb glucose and fructose, which are two different receptors \u2013 both can be trained and increased, particularly the fructose component has increased. In years gone past, most of the drinks were two thirds maltodextrin, which is essentially glucose, and one third fructose. Then the science started to emerge that showed that there was a capacity to increase the fructose side of things even further.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">So most of the newer drinks are a 1 to 0.8 ratio of glucose to fructose, so there&#8217;s an increase in the fructose component, and that allows us to go up to 110 to 120 grams an hour.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">On top of that, the latest trend now is to also include lactate as a fuel source, and that allows you to absorb even more energy than just the glucose and fructose that is in traditionally most energy drinks.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Most people in the past thought of lactate as a toxic byproduct of metabolism. It&#8217;s not. It&#8217;s a very essential step to maintain energy supply. And it&#8217;s an essential fuel. Your brain and your heart and muscles that are working at a lower intensity, selectively use lactate as a fuel. So if you can continue to fuel the brain, the liver, the heart, and other muscles with lactate, then the other muscles can continue to use the glucose and fructose and therefore you increase your total energy supply.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">I think these kinds of nutritional strategies have been one of the very key elements that have seen the increase in performance across the peloton in triathlons and in other endurance sports in the last five years. Fueling has become a huge factor in terms of the enhancement in performance that we&#8217;ve seen. It&#8217;s really a big change that&#8217;s happened in the last 5 years, and we can&#8217;t underestimate that contribution to the performances that we&#8217;ve seen.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: Is there anything else?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS: <\/strong>The other part is also training. So my former colleague [at UAE Team Emirates-XRG] I\u00f1igo San Milan introduced the zone 2 training, and that zone 2 training is specifically targeted at enhancing the ability of the body to use carbohydrates and fats, but also very much the carbohydrate side in an oxidative way. In other words, to use them within mitochondria [inside cells] to produce energy, which is manyfold more efficient than using them glycolytically, which is when you produce lactate.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">So enhancing that capacity is a key part of our training regime as well, the zone 2, what we now call metabolic training. We&#8217;ve shifted a little bit. I&#8217;m going to stop talking there now because otherwise we&#8217;d tell our competitors too much, but we&#8217;ve specifically focused on that as well.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">But there are so many different facets to performance. It&#8217;s really a lot of different layers that we add into the cake.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-b0c00785-5a65-407a-a1e3-f0325bee8827\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/y7KR9BSFz5kForrLysKV4F-1024-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/y7KR9BSFz5kForrLysKV4F-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/y7KR9BSFz5kForrLysKV4F-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/y7KR9BSFz5kForrLysKV4F-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/y7KR9BSFz5kForrLysKV4F-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/y7KR9BSFz5kForrLysKV4F-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">Fueling has become a huge element of performance <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-714a89f4-4fa7-4454-98b0-4b3f8d13105c\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: Are there any other areas regarding performance that have become more interesting for you right now or in recent years&#8217;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS: <\/strong>I will tell you one. I think the most interesting one at the moment is one that gets talked about a lot but I don&#8217;t think is necessarily being used at the moment in a really fundamentally game-changing way other than maybe with us and a handful of teams, if that. And that is data integration.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">We&#8217;ve spent the last five years very focused on it. That means taking all the disparate sources of data we get data from our group devices and these are multiple: heart rate variability, resting heart rate, sleep metrics, power meters on the bikes, the CORE sensor which measure the rider&#8217;s temperature, self-reported wellness questionnaires, subjective comments from our coaches that are uploaded onto our data integration platform on a weekly basis. If the rider is not healthy, we get comments from the medical team. This rider has a niggle in his hamstring, This rider has a slight cough, otherwise feeling well and so on, those kinds of comments.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">We have developed a very, very comprehensive data integration platform with our team in analogue, and we&#8217;ve now utilised the AI capability of that to generate the most in-depth integrated reports on a monthly basis. We literally create a 20-plus page report which describes all the facets of a rider&#8217;s training, performance, wellness, et cetera, in a single cohesive report which has a narrative as well.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">What the AI is able to do so much better than a human being is that it&#8217;s able to take all these different data sources and look at them and the temporal relationship between them.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">That includes, for instance, if a rider goes to the laboratory and has his routine blood tests, we upload all of the blood results as well. Everything is integrated into a single cohesive narrative where we can really see how all these different variables, what they&#8217;re saying and how they&#8217;re saying the same thing.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">So if there&#8217;s a combined signal that comes from multiple different sources, it gives us that absolute clarity about which direction to go in and amazingly, the AI is even giving very concrete objectives, too.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: Such as?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS: <\/strong>Advice in terms of &#8216;Don&#8217;t do another high intensity training session with this athlete until his heart rate variability score exceeds 150 for three days in a row&#8217;, for instance. That&#8217;s just a rough example, but that kind of advice means the coaches can then go back and say, &#8216;OK [do this]&#8217; and we have rationale for it as well \u2013 why is this the case? Why shouldn&#8217;t we be pushing harder now? Why should we back off? Why should we do a different type of training?<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">That has been the most interesting and from a developmental perspective, one of the most profound things that we are seeing emerging now: that ability to obtain this very cohesive data integration and reporting.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: Is it fair to call it a game-changer?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS: <\/strong>Absolutely. It is. It is a game-changer. It gives us so much more clarity in terms of why we should do things and what we should do, and it saves a huge amount of time.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">If I had to work on generating one of those reports for a single athlete, whether it&#8217;s Tadej or Isaac [del Toro] or anybody else, it would probably take me a few days of focused work. Now we can generate 40 of them in an hour.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">That&#8217;s the ability of AI and that is where AI is valuable. You hear a lot about how AI has not proven to be as fruitful as it should be and that it&#8217;s costly and so on, but in our case it truly is having a profound effect.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"van-image-figure inline-layout kiosq-b\" data-bordeaux-image-check id=\"elk-dfa09856-3e05-4307-affd-1dcfe076c151\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image-full-width-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-widthsetter\">\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\">\n<source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/cdwAWsuT54mf8L2a44654F-1024-80.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/cdwAWsuT54mf8L2a44654F-1024-80.jpg.webp 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/cdwAWsuT54mf8L2a44654F-970-80.jpg.webp 970w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/cdwAWsuT54mf8L2a44654F-650-80.jpg.webp 650w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/cdwAWsuT54mf8L2a44654F-480-80.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/cdwAWsuT54mf8L2a44654F-320-80.jpg.webp 320w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 970px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\" inline-layout\"><span class=\"caption-text\">AI is an important training tool for UAE <\/span><span class=\"credit\">(Image credit: Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"elk-4433c386-a1f8-4d62-9842-2f789eb1262b\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: Is that something that you think has affected the amount of success that the team has had?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS: <\/strong>I think so. It&#8217;s been a step-by-step process. Two years ago, we had all of the data integrated, and we could see it all visually and we could delve into it and we could look at it. And the AI two years ago would give us some interesting feedback prompted specifically by the user, you know, where you had to say &#8216;I&#8217;m interested in this relationship. Tell me about that&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The new level of AI is where we don&#8217;t have to prompt it anymore. We just unleash it on the data and it comes back now with a very profound, in-depth and really meaningful analysis and insights as well as recommendations.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">That is far more beneficial than it was two years ago, so we&#8217;ve continued, progressively to utilise this kind of technology &#8211; and it just continues to improve.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>CN: A lot of what we&#8217;ve talked about feels like light years away from the last rider to win the Tour five times, Miguel Indurain, but one thing that remains relevant, maybe is that when asked which rival he feared the most, he&#8217;d always say &#8216;Myself&#8217;.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>At a time when there&#8217;s been a lot of talk about Paul Seixas and the performance of <\/strong><strong>Jonas Vingegaard <\/strong><strong>this year in the Giro d&#8217;Italia, is Indurain&#8217;s attitude the one that Tadej takes, or is it more about using his rivals as reference points \u2013 like Poga\u010dar did, in a sense, with Seixas in Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>JS: <\/strong>I think it&#8217;s definitely a matter of looking towards what rivals are doing, and I think Paul Sexas certainly is an absolute revelation to be at the level he&#8217;s at at age 19. We don&#8217;t really know what he can do in a Grand Tour. It&#8217;s going to be absolutely fascinating to see whether he has the durability to be able to last into the third week and at the end of those very severe stages in excess of 4,000 or 4.500 kilojoules.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Does he have that ability? Science would say that it&#8217;s something that has to evolve over time. It&#8217;s why we originally had the U23 category and it was recognised back in the day, too it just didn&#8217;t have a name. But has he already got that capability?<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Jonas [Vinegegaard] has had a phenomenally good Giro. He seemed to be reaching a progressively higher level throughout, and I hesitate to say it but he was maybe riding within himself in the final mountain stages because he certainly wasn&#8217;t challenged. So, I think we have to look at our rivals and they certainly are a big motivator. And I think it&#8217;s going to be a really great Tour de France too, and one that will be exciting to watch.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-2273f542-ceb1-4d75-9a86-99899fb6a50e\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><em><strong>The world\u2019s biggest bike race deserves world-class coverage. Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our unrivalled reporting of the 2026 Tour de France. From Barcelona through to Paris, our experienced team will bring you breaking news, expert insight, and in-depth coverage from every stage as the battle for the yellow jersey plays out. Plus, access the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! <\/strong><\/em><u><em><strong>Find out more.<\/strong><\/em><\/u><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/it-absolutely-is-a-game-changer-tadej-pogacars-performance-coach-reveals-more-about-his-preparation-training-tools-and-motivators-ahead-of-the-tour-de-france\/&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/CR37rojAgVRbGjSjLkmE7G-2560-80.jpg&#8221;] 1 Tour de France team-by-team guide \u2013 Line-up, leaders and ambitions for every squad on the start list 2 &#8216;Tadej keeps on surprising us&#8217; \u2013 The inside view on how UAE Team Emirates-XRG have constructed Tadej Poga\u010dar&#8217;s assault on a fifth Tour de France 3 From a crucial TTT to double Alpe [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,68],"class_list":["post-2023149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-cyclingnews-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2023149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2023149"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2023149\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2023149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2023149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2023149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}