Tim Wellens explains why UAE kept Tour de France breakaway on a tight leash
UAE Team Emirates-XRG spent much of stage 9 keeping the breakaway on a tight leash, a decision that raised plenty of questions. Tim Wellens has now explained the thinking behind the team’s tactics and why they never fully committed to bringing the move back.
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Mathieu van der Poel eventually won the shortened and intensely hot stage from a four rider group, beating Tobias Halland Johannessen and Tom Pidcock in the sprint in Ussel. Behind them, UAE had spent much of the day keeping a powerful escape group within striking distance.
According to Wellens, that control was partly driven by the strength of the riders in front and partly by how he and his teammates were feeling.
“Once the break had gone, we simply started riding,” Wellens told Sporza. “I did wonder whether we should give them more time. The sports directors said we could let the gap grow much more, but Felix [Großschartner] and I were feeling good. I did not want to give away all those minutes for free.”
UAE consequently kept the advantage at around one minute for much of the stage, before Netcompany-Ineos also began contributing to the chase.
The team still had a possible stage win in mind. With Isaac del Toro among the quicker riders remaining in the peloton, UAE believed a reduced sprint could offer an opportunity if the breakaway was caught.
“Before the start, we had discussed that Isaac might be able to sprint if it came down to a small group,” Wellens said. “Halfway through the stage, that was still an option. In the end, the break just managed to stay away, but we did not put everything into the chase.”
Had the leaders been caught, UAE planned to use Pogačar and Brandon McNulty to position Del Toro for the finish.
“We would have come from behind with Tadej, Brandon and Isaac on the wheel, and then tried to launch the sprint,” Wellens explained. “But the riders in front just had enough left.”
Van der Poel made the decisive move on the Mont Bessou with 25 kilometres remaining, splitting the breakaway before Baudin rejoined Van der Poel, Johannessen and Pidcock on the descent. Their cooperation ensured the peloton could not close the final gap.
Although UAE’s decision to control the race required Wellens and Großschartner to work at the front, the Belgian rejected the suggestion that the team had wasted energy on a day when Pogačar’s overall lead was never seriously threatened.
“People always say that it costs energy, but today only Felix and I had to ride at the front,” he said. “We did not even have to work during the final 40 kilometres on the flat.”
“I would personally rather ride hard on the climbs, where everybody is under pressure, than ride slowly all day and still have to work everywhere.”
UAE has it eyes on the team classification
Wellens also played down the idea that UAE had deliberately made the race difficult simply to deny Pogačar’s rivals an easy day.
“Not particularly,” he said. “You also have to look at the team classification, where Lidl-Trek is about half an hour ahead.”
Winning the team classification is not a primary objective for UAE, the Belgian rider stressed, but it remains something the riders would welcome alongside their pursuit of overall victory.
“It is not really a major target for the team, but it matters to the riders,” he said. “The first objective is to have the yellow jersey in Paris. If we can also win another classification, that would be a nice bonus, but it is not the most important thing.”
Pogačar finished safely in the peloton and carried a lead of 2 minutes and 42 seconds over Jonas Vingegaard into the first rest day.
Result: Tour de France stage 9
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