UAE Team Emirates-XRG manager reveals 'ambitious dream' to emulate Visma in 2027 Grand Tours, but Pogačar and Del Toro's schedules still under wraps

Tadej Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates-XRG retained their dominance as professional cycling's top rider and team in 2026, winning the Tour de France and three Monuments. However, there remains one feat that they haven't yet achieved, which stands out as a goal for sports manager Joxean Fernández Matxin in 2027: winning all three Grand Tours in the same season.

It's only been done once in men's cycling history, by Jumbo-Visma (now Visma-Lease a Bike) in 2023, with Primož Roglič winning the Giro d'Italia, Jonas Vingegaard winning the Tour, and Sepp Kuss claiming a surprise win at the Vuelta a España.

It's no secret that Pogačar will be back at the Tour to defend his yellow jersey and take aim at breaking the record for overall victories with six, and he's also already pointed to a preference for combining it with the Vuelta, having crashed out while leading the race on stage 8 earlier this year. But Matxin is hopeful one of their other top GC riders can conquer the Giro and set up the chance for a complete set in one season.

"I don't look back on what we've achieved, but rather forward to what we still have to achieve. The possibility of breaking those five Tour victories with a sixth, the ambitious dream of winning all three Grand Tours in the same year," Matxin told Eurosport.es in a recent interview.

"What am I longing for right now? I won't lie to you, what Visma has achieved: winning the Giro, Tour, and Vuelta in the same year."

Matxin kept his cards close to his chest when asked if Isaac del Toro could return to the Giro after his second-place debut performance in 2025 and maiden podium at the Tour this year. Both the Mexican star's and Pogačar's schedules will be revealed at UAE's December training camp media day.

"Riders like Del Toro and Pogačar, in any race, will be contenders for the win. What I can guarantee is that we'll have a balanced team, a season where everyone will have their chances," he said.

In 2024, UAE won two of the three through Pogačar at the Giro and Tour, but in 2025 and 2026, they have only managed to win the Tour, with Visma taking out the past two Italian Grand Tours and the Vuelta in 2025. A crash denied the Slovenian what looked like a certain Vuelta victory, and, in spite of their 78 victories in 2026, UAE were heavily hit by crashes and injuries throughout the season – with more luck, Matxin is hopeful that goal becomes attainable.

"I think it could happen every year, but I don't know why it hasn't," he said.

"This year we've had really bad luck with crashes. We've had 78 crashes. 18 out of 30 riders have been injured. I think all those circumstances have made us stronger and helped us push ourselves to improve."

The main crash for UAE is, of course, that of Pogačar in Spain, in which he suffered several fractures and a concussion, and just last week he revealed how he had suffered more fractured vertebrae than was originally diagnosed. He's been ramping up his recovery into full training, and Matxin has no doubts about what level of Pogačar will be seen in 2027.

"When you truly go through and suffer through bad times, you'll find more meaning in them and appreciate the good times more fully," said the sports manager.

"I believe you have to be positive about everything in life, and from bad times you have to know that you'll come back stronger, with that little bit of anger that helps you improve.

"I have no doubt that Pogačar will be better than last year."

The 2027 Tour route and Pogačar's rivals

He also welcomed the recently unveiled route for the 2027 Tour de France, despite some suggestions that it is an "anti-Pogačar" course, understanding the organisers' need to try and keep the race open for longer. At the most recent race, the Slovenian had the GC all but wrapped up with a 2:42 lead on Vingegaard after stage 6.

"What the organisers are aiming for, and I understand them here, is to prevent the Tour from being decided on the fourth stage. I understand that perspective," said Matxin.

"I'm no fortune teller, but I do understand that the organisers are looking for formats that keep the race as open as possible."

When it comes to Pogačar's main rival, that spot will likely be filled by one of Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, or Paul Seixas, but the UAE boss was cautious to single any of them out at this moment, knowing full well how much a season of racing can change their respective standings.

"I would never say who the main rival is. Because just as Seixas emerged this year, someone else could. And just as Jonas Vingegaard has been the usual rival, this year he wasn't because of a crash," said Matxin.

"And just as Tadej didn't win the Vuelta a España because of a crash. In cycling, everything moves very quickly. Last year we were talking about Jonas being the rival, and it was Remco. We shouldn't rule out Remco. We shouldn't rule out Jonas. And we obviously shouldn't rule out Paul Seixas, because he's burst onto the scene brilliantly. I don't think we should focus on just one rider, but rather on the overall contenders for the general classification."

Even with his injuries, Pogačar will most likely line up at the start of the Tour in Edinburgh as the heavy favourite, but it remains to be seen how he will perform in races after his heavy crash, and how UAE will plot the best route to challenging for the Giro and Vuelta by splitting up their leaders.

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