{"id":659075,"date":"2025-12-28T04:20:19","date_gmt":"2025-12-28T04:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/659075\/"},"modified":"2025-12-28T04:20:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-28T04:20:19","slug":"matxin-extremely-demanding-about-uaes-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/659075\/","title":{"rendered":"Matxin extremely demanding about UAE\u2019s 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#13;<br \/>\nOne of the most talked about decisions ahead of the new year was <a href=\"https:\/\/cyclinguptodate.com\/cycling\/official-isaac-del-toro-will-be-a-domestique-for-tadej-pogacar-at-the-2026-tour-de-france\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">the Tour de France debut of Isaac del Toro.<\/a> Matxin explains that the choice was carefully considered and agreed with the rider. \u201cHe was slightly more attracted by the idea of trying the Tour, and doing so without pressure, with the focus on Pogacar.\u201d The idea is straightforward. \u201cIt is the best way to ride the Tour without anyone demanding anything from him, because he is really there to learn.\u201dThe question mark over Pogacar and the Vuelta<a href=\"https:\/\/cyclinguptodate.com\/tadej-pogacar\" title=\"Tadej Pogacar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tadej Pogacar<\/a>\u2019s calendar continues to generate expectation, especially around the Vuelta a Espana. From the team\u2019s management there is a preference for caution. \u201cWe do not want to create expectations if we do not really know how Pogacar is.\u201d The decision, Matxin stresses, will be taken later, always with respect for the race.<\/p>\n<p>When building the calendar, UAE assess different alternatives depending on objectives. Matxin acknowledges that \u201cif you do not ride the Giro, the opportunity opens up to race Romandie and Switzerland\u201d, two races the team has not yet won. As for rivals, he is emphatic. \u201cWe cannot build our calendar around the calendar of others. We have to build the one that best suits our interests.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The transfer market has not been busy in terms of numbers, but it has been about quality. Matxin is confident that \u201cVanmaerke is going to have an exceptional season\u201d, sees Cosnefroy as a safe bet for the classics, and asks Pericas to maintain \u201cthat ambition to win and that intelligence in racing\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Victories, numbers and controlled ambition<\/p>\n<p>The debate about reaching 100 victories does not obsess the team. \u201c100 is nothing more than a number,\u201d Matxin sums up, recalling that 97 wins were achieved in 2025 and that the real objective is \u201cto try to improve, even if it is by just one more than last year\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>On early retirements for mental health reasons, Matxin does not believe they will become a widespread trend. He feels that young riders are now \u201cmore aware of what they want and what they do not\u201d, thanks to better information, although he recognises that each case requires individual analysis.<\/p>\n<p>Looking ahead to the new season, the message is clear: do not settle. \u201cIf we have achieved it, it is because we are capable, and if we continue working with the same mentality, we can surpass it.\u201d Beyond Pogacar, Matxin highlights the strength of the group. \u201cUAE is a solid team and those who arrive grow.\u201d That collective balance, he concludes, is what he feels \u201cmost proud of\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"&#13; One of the most talked about decisions ahead of the new year was the Tour de France&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":659076,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4104],"tags":[201490,4230,186439,197259,79,16152,181698,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-659075","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-benoit-cosnefroy","9":"tag-cycling","10":"tag-isaac-del-toro","11":"tag-joxean-matxin","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-tadej-pogacar","14":"tag-uae-team-emirates-xrg","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115795278085695638","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/659075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=659075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/659075\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/659076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=659075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=659075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=659075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}