This fussy, snappy, adrenalin-fuelled, all-out approach by UAE helped set the general tone of the next two weeks.
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But as there were bonus seconds on offer at the summit, Bilbao’s display of strength had been so impressive it felt almost inevitable that a hyper-active Pogačar would zip off the front, then snatch yet more seconds at the finish with third place behind stage winner Victor Lafay (Cofidis). The fallout from UAE’s constant presence on the front was less severe on stage 2 over the Clásica San Sebastián’s most emblematic climb, the Jaizkebel. Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) showed that any dreams of a return to the GC battle needed putting on hold for now, while both Romain Bardet (DSM) and Ben O’Connor (AG2R-Citroën) found themselves in trouble. The frenetic approach to the Pike saw the first GC contender, Enric Mas (Movistar) crash out with a broken shoulder blade, and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) suffered injuries that would see him lose 15 minutes then leave the race on stage 2 as well. The war from the gun wasn’t just at the front end of the bunch. Yet perhaps most importantly of all, stage 1 was a day where UAE had made it plain that in their much stronger lineup compared to 2022, they meant serious Tour business. When Pogačar crossed the line with his arms held aloft at the celebration of UAE’s first of three stage wins, there was more satisfaction that he’d taken third and stolen a march on Vingegaard with bonus seconds. But in fact only he and stage 2 winner Victor Lafay (Cofidis) could follow UAE’s two co-leaders, Adam Yates and Pogačar.Īs more riders then came across to the leading quartet on the false flat and fast descent that followed, Adam Yates soared away towards a solo victory and the first yellow jersey with only his brother Simon (Jayco-AIUIa) for company.īut the big news was that thanks to UAE, the main peloton had definitively shattered, ultimately leaving a group of 12 top favourites ahead at Bilbao. When the UAE push came to shove towards the summit of the Pike, the last and most hotly disputed climb of all, defending champion Jonas Vingegaard was almost duty-bound to be up there in person. If any confirmation had been needed that it was the UAE squad who’d give Jumbo-Visma the biggest run for their money, in the three weeks to come, on the gritty, technical ascents in the Bilbao industrial hinterland, Mikkel Bjerg, Adam Yates and Pogačar provided that evidence in abundance. However, that was just one rider in a bigger picture: back in Bilbao on the opening stage, right from the gun UAE’s collective gung-ho attitude to the Tour made itself very clear. The real limits on Yates’ role remained blurry until deep into the third week when UAE made a concerted effort to keep on the podium. Just days before the Grand Départ, when UAE named Adam Yates as Tour de France co-leader for their team, it was widely regarded as a way of easing pressure on Tadej Pogačar given his uneven build-up.
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