UAE-Team Emirates thread

[Berniece]

But you said they hadn't started yet which isn't true for Pithie and Van Gils.

Completely forgot he already rode TDU

 

[Berniece]

Exactly when and where was the altutitude camp? In the case of Vine it was at his home in Andorra training in december. He started the Aussie national Championship on Jan8 and the TDU started jan 20. I assume Narvaez did his altitude at home in Ecuador.

It was indeed at home in Andorra, does that change anything? They clearly went for an early peak.

 

[yaco]

It was indeed at home in Andorra, does that change anything? They clearly went for an early peak.

I dont think it changes anything, as you can also do altutude in Andorra if you live there, however, the narrative is you need to leave your home base and travel to somewhere like Calpe.

 

[Tim Cahill]

'If there is one race I can be better than Pogacar, it is Paris-Roubaix' - Florian Vermeersch sets his spring agenda at UAE

Valencia is not where Florian Vermeersch expects his season to be decided, but it is where he wants to set the tone. The 26-year-old gravel world champion…

www.domestiquecycling.com

Vermeersch going for Roubaix, he has the calibre to be up near the front but I think his co-leader ambitions might not go down too well.

 

[Cycling111]

'If there is one race I can be better than Pogacar, it is Paris-Roubaix' - Florian Vermeersch sets his spring agenda at UAE

Valencia is not where Florian Vermeersch expects his season to be decided, but it is where he wants to set the tone. The 26-year-old gravel world champion…

www.domestiquecycling.com

We saw in 2025.I want the self-esteem of this guy.

But I think the headline phrase is clickbait.

 

[Berniece]

We saw in 2025.I want the self-esteem of this guy.

But I think the headline phrase is clickbait.

Indeed, in 2025 he was the perfect teammate by not closing down the gap to Pogacar

 

[Cycling111]

What was the last stage race where they didn't win anything?

They always win a stage or the GC.

Depending on Remco's climbing level, the same thing could happen to them in UAE Tour. There, Molano will have Merlier and better sprinters than in Oman. It all depends on Del Toro. He could have a chance on Jebel Jais stage because he's very explosive. It depends on Remco's level on those climbs and whether Del Toro can follow him; otherwise, it could be their second stage race without victories.

Adam Yates is also in UAE Tour, but his level has declined in the last two years. He has the capacity to win Oman, like last year againts rivals like Schmid or Parent-Peintre. Last year he wasn't as dominant and won GC without a stage.

In Algarve, Almleida will face Ayuso again. Algarve finishes are explosive, ideal for Ayuso.

 

[yaco]

I'm struggling to work out why they rode so hard to catch the break today, seeing they had no obvious sprinter.

 

[Monsi]

What was the last stage race where they didn't win anything?

They always win a stage or the GC.

Depending on Remco's climbing level, the same thing could happen to them in UAE Tour. There, Molano will have Merlier and better sprinters than in Oman. It all depends on Del Toro. He could have a chance on Jebel Jais stage because he's very explosive. It depends on Remco's level on those climbs and whether Del Toro can follow him; otherwise, it could be their second stage race without victories.

Adam Yates is also in UAE Tour, but his level has declined in the last two years. He has the capacity to win Oman, like last year againts rivals like Schmid or Parent-Peintre. Last year he wasn't as dominant and won GC without a stage.

In Algarve, Almleida will face Ayuso again. Algarve finishes are explosive, ideal for Ayuso.

Jebel Jais is replaced by the much steeper Jebel Mobrah, which is like 7 km at almost 12%

 

[SHAD0W93]

In Algarve, Almleida will face Ayuso again. Algarve finishes are explosive, ideal for Ayuso.

Almeida > Ayuso

 

[Squire]

Almeida > Ayuso

Not on that route, I think. But Almeida might be ahead in terms of race sharpness.

 

[Offline]

Not on that route, I think. But Almeida might be ahead in terms of race sharpness.

Ayuso can be trusted - either climb like a sprinter or he is top 3 in world. You never know what you are going to get

 

[Wyndbrook]

Mrs Wyndbrook has just said I've become a little poggi, thought for a moment I must have been flying on yesterdays ride. Or perhaps its the aftermath of excess christmas puds and mincepies.

 

[Cycling111]

Molano saved them from having two stage races without a win.

We'll see at UAE Tour. With Remco, they'll have a difficult to win, and Molano with Milan will too.
Looking Adam Yates, if Del Toro is in shape, Adam will be his domestique.

Jay Vine could have done better in UAE Tour. He's the one who's shown the best shape this season, along with Morgado, who's at a similar level to last year to win races without much competition in Mallorca.

Adam Yates seemed to be in decline last year. He was very poor in the Giro, although he was good the two days they needed him in TDF. But it certainly seems that, based on his form, Vine should be at the Tour, but it appears they don't want to take him for fear of accidents.

 

[Rou]

The UAE team has been and still remains a one man team.
All these inflated victories against plumbers last year don't change that.
Now Yates can't even beat them on his favourite terrain.
Next week we'll see if del Toro has made a step up but my expectation is that Remco will mop the floor with him.

 

[Offline]

Yates is over his due date. Giving him 3 years contact extension was crazy by UAE. He can't win anymore and don't see him taking over Majka's role. UAE should have signed a more clear helper instead of giving Yates 3 years more.

I would rather have had Majka for 3 years more tbh

 

[Wyndbrook]

UAE have never been very good at many of the things that other teams would just call best practice.

 

[hayneplane]

Concerning from Adam Yates as in years past he has won this race with great ease but now looks to be well past being truly useful to the team. As others have said he doesn’t seem a good fit to be a Majka style climbing road captain.

Getting dropped frequently before doing any pacing in last years TDF was concerning enough but now he just doesn’t belong in the top squad as climbing support.

 

[YavorD]

The UAE team has been and still remains a one man team.
All these inflated victories against plumbers last year don't change that.
Now Yates can't even beat them on his favourite terrain.
Next week we'll see if del Toro has made a step up but my expectation is that Remco will mop the floor with him.

I don't agree. Last year they won a lot of big stage races with Almeida and Ayuso (who is out of the team).
Winning a GT nowadays is hard with Pogacar, Vingegaard and even Roglic being so good. Same goes to one say races where Lidl and Alpecin have a dedicated strong squads.
It is very ard for the other UAE riders to get a big win.
Heck, in San Remo, where they arguably have a bigger chance to win it if they play tactically, they will ride in full support of Pogacar.
They are okay.

 

[yaco]

You have nothing to worry about when you win 95 races and without a top notch sprinter.

 

[LongtimeLurker]

Yates has not been the same since his crash and concussion in UAE Tour.

 

[Cycling111]

Yates has not been the same since his crash and concussion in UAE Tour.

I think he already showed signs of decline in Alula.
He won GC but didn't win any stages, unlike in previous years.

The accident affected his preparation, but it's not an injury that will limit his performance once he's recovered.

 

[Cycling111]

By the way, UAE has more victories than they did in February last year 😅
But I still get the feeling they're less dominant.

They didn't win a stage in Valencia, and in Oman, Molano saved them because of the poor opponents for sprint. We'll see what happens in UAE Tour with Del Toro and Remco and in Algarve against Ayuso, and in Ruta del Sol, BORA will have a better team than in previous years, although Hindley finally won't be here.

They still have such a deep team that they're going to win many races like today's, but I still think they'll win less because Almeida and Del Toro will get less victories due to schedule.

Since McNulty is doing the Tour, I suppose he won't go to Croatia and other farm-races where he had several stage and overall wins.

Almeida won many stages between Itzulia, Switzerland, and Romandie. This year, unless Vingegaard experiences a serious decline, that shouldn't be the case. And if Remco wants to improve his performance in the Tour, he should also Beat Almeida in Catalunya.

I have more doubts about the Algarve, but it's a route that's ideal for Ayuso. The other day, some impressive stats came out about Ayuso. They're always impressive at the start of the season. It's possible that Ayuso will dominate in Algarve and Paris-Nice like in other years and then collapse in the Tour.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2020612681951330533

View: https://x.com/i/status/2020612681951330533

 

[Netserk]

Yates has not been the same since his crash and concussion in UAE Tour.

he won suisse and was the best helper in the tour that year

 

[kingjr]

he won suisse and was the best helper in the tour that year

And his performance on the way to Blatten was his best effort yet, according to Peyresourde's ranking.