Team UAE Emirates-XRG is celebrating Tadej Pogačar's magnificent victory in the Hautacam stage of the Tour de France, but they know that there are still 10 days of hard battle to go before they can dream of the Slovenian's fourth overall victory on the Champs-Élysées.

Although this is Pogačar's third stage victory of the 2025 edition and a resounding display of strength over his rivals, Wednesday's crash had raised serious concerns for the team. Previously, the loss of João Almeida had been a major blow, followed to a lesser extent by Pavel Sivakov's inconsistent performance on the climbs of the Massif Central.

Powerful German rider Nils Politt revealed to reporters that the team's morale began to improve on Wednesday evening, when it became clear that Pogačar had not suffered any serious consequences from the crash: "We were already in good spirits. We saw that he was fine and was super confident for today. We can be really proud of how we rode as a team, and hats off to Tadej."

Tim Wellens's work in the initial breakaway was crucial, followed by the perfect support of Adam Yates and Jhonatan Narváez in the finale. Sports director Andrej Hauptmann commented:

It was a superb performance by Tadej and the whole team. But the real Tour de France and the real climbs begin today. We have to keep our feet on the ground: tomorrow there's an important time trial, then perhaps one of the toughest stages on the Ventoux, and after that there are still the Alps.

Momentum was definitely on Team UAE's side, and there was almost a sense of inevitability in the way Pogačar attacked 11 km from the summit. As Politt confirmed:

"It's no longer a surprise. When he says he'll attack, more often than not, he does."