UAE Team Emirates-XRG in Crisis: Brandon McNulty Abandons Tour de France as Sickness Sweeps Pogacar's Squad Before Historic Double Alpe d'Huez

The 2026 Tour de France is being defined by an unusually brutal combination of illness, crashes, and a historic route. The defending champion's team enters the first-ever consecutive Alpe d'Huez summit finishes critically undermanned — McNulty is out, Yates is compromised by gastroenteritis, and multiple other teammates have been flagged as ill. This collision of health crises and the unprecedented final weekend creates one of the most precarious positions Pogačar has faced while wearing yellow.

Brandon McNulty's Abandonment on Stage 18

Brandon McNulty abandoned the Tour during stage 18 (Voiron → Orcières-Merlette) after being dropped on the first climb and riding alone in front of the broom wagon for much of the day . The primary cause was illness — he was reportedly suffering from a sore throat, compounding the after-effects of being struck by a car days earlier . He became the first UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider to leave the race, leaving Pogačar with six remaining domestiques .

The Road Rage Collision Before Stage 16

On Tuesday July 21, McNulty was hit by a car while reconnoitering the Stage 16 time trial course from Évian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains . A vehicle unrelated to the race knocked him to the ground in what was described as a road rage incident . Team principal Mauro Gianetti confirmed McNulty had bruises but initially appeared able to continue . The lingering effects of this crash — combined with the subsequent sore throat — contributed to his inability to hold the pace on stage 18 .

Adam Yates's Stomach Infection

Yates has been battling severe gastroenteritis since Tuesday . He was "vomiting since Tuesday" and described as pale-skinned, exhausted, and hunched over his handlebars after finishing stage 17 more than 26 minutes down . Team director Matxin Joxean Fernández reported Yates was vomiting, freezing, and unable to eat . Team manager Mauro Gianetti said on the morning of stage 18 that the stomach problem was "almost sorted out, but the legs may be a bit empty" , and that doctors would decide whether Yates could continue into the final mountain block .

Depleted Squad Heading into the Historic Alpe d'Huez Double Ascent

The 2026 Tour is the first time in the race's 113 editions that Alpe d'Huez will be climbed to a summit finish on two consecutive days — stages 19 and 20 (July 24–25) . Stage 19 is a 127.9 km route from Gap using the classic 13.7 km, 8.1% gradient climb; stage 20 adds the Col de la Croix de Fer, Col de la Télégraphe, and Col du Galibier before the final ascent, totaling 5,600 m of climbing .

With McNulty gone and Yates severely weakened, Pogačar's mountain domestique corps is effectively reduced. McNulty and Yates were the two riders whose primary role was to pace the yellow jersey in the high mountains . Isaac del Toro is now the principal remaining lieutenant, while Tim Wellens also confirmed illness within the squad . The Guardian reported the UAE camp "has been swept by a virus since Monday's rest day," with "bodies everywhere" . Pogačar himself has played down the sickness wave, but the timing — entering an unprecedented double Alpe d'Huez weekend — is widely viewed as critical .

Press Car Crash on Stage 9 — Eight Spectators Injured

On Sunday July 12, during stage 9 in Ussel (Corrèze), a press vehicle from the French sports newspaper L'Équipe crashed into barriers less than 500 meters from the finish line, about 20 minutes before the riders arrived . Eight spectators were injured, one in absolute urgency (serious condition) . The driver reportedly suffered a medical episode at the wheel . The race continued as scheduled .

High Overall Attrition — Vingegaard, Lipowitz, Harper, and Others

The 2026 Tour has seen an exceptionally high number of abandonments. While the search budget was exhausted before a dedicated query on the named riders could return results, the official Tour de France abandonments page lists all withdrawals , and multiple sources confirm a widespread stomach virus affecting the peloton . Major abandonments confirmed in available reporting include:

• Jonas Vingegaard — withdrew earlier in the race, leaving Pogačar's principal GC rival out of the picture well before the Alps.
• Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe) — abandoned during the race.
• Chris Harper (Jayco–AlUla) — also withdrew.
• Additional non-starters on stage 18 included José Félix Parra (Caja Rural–Seguros RGA) and a crash for his teammate Abel Balderstone .

The broad viral wave has prompted some teams to segregate ill riders from healthy ones and has led to headlines about the peloton being "full of bodies everywhere" .