UAE Team Emirates-XRG boss reveals just how badly injuries affected 2026 campaign

UAE Team Emirates-XRG sports manager Matxin Joxean Fernández has reflected on the team’s difficulties in 2026 on the injury front, with 19 of their 30 riders suffering setbacks during the campaign. 

In an interview with AS, Matxin details the extent of UAE’s injury crisis, explaining how injuries and illness left the team struggling despite their immense success on the road in 2026.

“We had 19 riders sustain injuries. There were viruses, illnesses, and, of course, broken bones, some riders even suffered multiple fractures,” Matxin told AS. 

While the team suffered injury setbacks throughout the campaign, UAE’s ill fortune was particularly evident at both the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España. 

Before the Giro had even reached Italy, a mass crash in Bulgaria on stage 2 forced Marc Soler and Jay Vine to abandon the race, with GC leader Adam Yates withdrawing before the start of stage 3. 

At the Vuelta, Tadej Pogačar crashed out on stage 8 in the red jersey, after he had already built up a seemingly insurmountable lead in the opening week. 

The crash ended Pogačar’s season, ruling him out from defending his European and World titles, as well as the opportunity to win a record-breaking sixth Il Lombardia in October.

“In total, we only had 11 riders available for the entire year,” Matxin said.

The number of injuries impacted the number of wins that UAE picked up throughout the campaign, with the victory tally falling from a record-breaking 97 in 2025 to 78 this year.

“We went from winning 97 races, an all-time record for the team, which had even dreamed of reaching 100—down to 78. It’s also true that, due to all these injuries, our race calendar was 20% smaller than the previous season,” Matxin said.

“On average, six riders were sidelined each month, with a broken collarbone being the most frequent injury.”

Although UAE had to contend with all of these challenges, the Emirati team still ended the season atop the UCI team rankings for the fourth consecutive season, with Pogačar leading the individual rankings for the sixth year running.

Additionally, their tally of 78 victories remained well ahead of the closest rivals with Visma | Lease a Bike recording 52 wins and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe taking 44 wins. 

“Despite everything, we secured the most wins, we have the best cyclist in the world, and we finished at the top of the UCI rankings for the fourth consecutive season, with a significant lead over the other teams. We must keep working to maintain that level," Matxin said.

Looking ahead, Matxin has already stated his ambition for the team in 2027 is to target all three Grand Tours. 

“What am I longing for right now? I won’t lie to you, what Visma has achieved: winning the Giro, Tour, and Vuelta in the same year,” Matxin told Eurosport. 

The last team to complete the clean sweep was Jumbo-Visma back in 2023, who won the Giro with Primož Roglič, the Tour de France with Jonas Vingegaard and the Vuelta with Sepp Kuss.