Last week, in just 36 hours, UAE Team Emirates-XRG won three leader jerseys in three different stage races, in three different countries, in three different ways. At the UAE Tour, a lean, in-form Tadej Pogačar obliterated the competition with a trademark, swashbuckling solo attack on Jebel Jais. Across the ocean, the Slovenian star’s 20-year-old successor, Jan Christen, won the queen stage of Volta ao Algarve by outsmarting and outclimbing the likes of Jonas Vingegaard and Primož Roglič on Alto da Foia. In Spain, on the very same day, Pavel Sivakov rode into the general classification lead at the Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol, finishing third on an uphill sprint in Torredelcampo. It was UAE Team Emirates’ world, and the rest of the peloton was just living in it.
Three-time Tour de France winner Pogačar’s performances were no surprise. In his team’s home race, with the beady eyes of his employers watching with expectation, the world champion was always going to win in the desert. His teammates beating the likes of Vingegaard and Roglič up a climb? This wasn’t necessarily part of the script for the 2025 season. Should these performances sound alarm bells for those who have to race UAE Team Emirates-XRG? Pogačar has long been a level above, but this year it seems his teammates have levelled up too. Are we coming dangerously close to game over for the rest of the peloton?
Jan Christen attacks during the Volta ao Algarve (Image: Getty)
It’s true that it’s early in the year to draw concrete conclusions – there are still over four months until the Tour de France, the race where it all really matters. However, the collective performances of teams like Visma-Lease a Bike when up against UAE Team Emirates point to radically different approaches to the first part of the season. In Algarve, Vingegaard was left isolated on terrain which shouldn’t have been difficult enough to drop the Danish rider’s domestiques which included Vuelta a España winner Sepp Kuss and promising climber Ben Tulett. However, the reality was Vingegaard being beaten on a climb that suited him after being forced to the front without teammates – and not even beaten by Pogačar himself but by the 26-year-old’s support men. The same can be said for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and Roglič who conceded over 15 seconds to stage winner Jan Christen.
Visma-Lease a Bike can take some solace from Vingegaard’s performance at the end of Ruta del Sol when he won the final time trial by 11 seconds to clinch the overall general classification. However, this was an effort by the Danish rider alone, and the support – or lack thereof – from his teammates in the stages leading up to that is something that will surely be a topic of discussion within the Dutch team’s ranks as they look to stage races coming up. To have a chance of beating a flying Pogačar when he faces him head-to-head – likely for the first time this year at the Critérium du Dauphiné – Vingegaard will need a strong team around him. Early signs this season raise questions about whether that will be possible – though it’s worth noting that Visma do still have reserves who will come into their Grand Tour team later this season, namely Matteo Jorgenson who is expected to be a valuable asset to their team leader after the Classics conclude. Perhaps UAE Team Emirates are peaking to soon with a long year ahead and perhaps Visma-Lease a Bike have plans to steadily build up to a busy summer. Only time will tell.
Tadej Pogačar wins the final stage of the UAE Tour (Image: RCS)
Above all, while there are question marks over the ability of certain WorldTour squads at this point in the season, there is no semblance of doubt over the collective strength of UAE Team Emirates-XRG. With Pogačar in their ranks, wins this season are virtually guaranteed, and with young talent like Christen, the future of the team looks bright too. Super-domestiques such as Jhonatan Narváez, Sivakov and Almeida are looking in their career-best form, and there’s others like Jay Vine, Mikkel Bjerg and Rafał Majka to consider as well. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a squad with this much depth in the men’s peloton and there’s work to be done for others to try and catch up. There’s still time for things to level out, but going up against UAE Team Emirates-XRG is currently a frightening prospect for those who are unlucky enough to face the task. Will it be a different story later this year? Or do we have a season dominated by one squad ahead of us?
Cover image: RCS
