UAE Team Director Congratulates Vingegaard on Tour de France Yellow Jersey

Josean Fernández Matxín, director of the UAE team, extended congratulations to Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard for securing the first yellow jersey of the 2026 Tour de France. Vingegaard led his Visma team to victory in the inaugural team time trial, which concluded on Montjuic.

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It was a fair victory for Vingegaard. We did what we had to do, and we can only congratulate the winner; they were better today.

Vingegaard's performance was dominant, clocking the fastest time of 21 minutes and 47 seconds, averaging 54 km/h. The second-place team, led by Filippo Ganna, finished 8 seconds behind in the general classification. Tadej Pogacar, considered a major favorite, guided the UAE team to third place, trailing by 12 seconds.

"It was a fair victory for Vingegaard. We did what we had to do, and we can only congratulate the winner; they were better today," Matxín stated at the finish line. He acknowledged the team's strategy, explaining, "The team's idea was to reach the final climb with Pogacar and Del Toro and for Tadej to give his maximum to minimize damage, as we knew we were at a disadvantage."

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The team's idea was to reach the final climb with Pogacar and Del Toro and for Tadej to give his maximum to minimize damage, as we knew we were at a disadvantage.

Despite the setback in the opening stage, Matxín emphasized that the Tour is far from over. "We have only lost the first battle, but the Tour has just begun," he remarked, signaling his team's resolve to compete throughout the race.

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We have only lost the first battle, but the Tour has just begun.