Adam Yates doesn't give up: the Briton grit his teeth at the Tour de France

Adam Yates has no intention of giving up. Despite a serious gastrointestinal problem that brought him to his knees on stage 17 of the 2026 Tour de France , the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider started regularly on stage 18 from Voirons, hoping to regain his strength in time for the final two mountain stages.

The situation had seemed truly critical on Wednesday: Yates fought with all his determination to get within the time limit, with teammate Tadej Pogačar not mincing words when describing his condition: "He suffered like a dog." The problem? A stomach disorder that left him unable to eat properly, depriving him of the energy he needed to tackle the climbs of stage 17.

Yates and Tim Wellens, sent by the team to support him, crossed the finish line a full 26 minutes and 36 seconds behind stage winner Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech), and about 18 minutes behind the leading group. It was a huge gap, but the important thing was to stay in the race.

UAE Team Manager Mauro Gianetti gave Cyclingnews an update on the situation before the start of stage 18: "The stomach problem is almost resolved, but his legs might feel a little empty. He'll struggle, because it's still too early. We hope he can get through today and then carve out a role for himself tomorrow and Saturday. If not tomorrow, at least on Saturday we hope he can get back to his level."

The good news for the Emirati team is that the illness appears to be an isolated case: no other rider on the team has been reported to have contracted the virus. The UAE team can therefore still count on a full eight-rider lineup, with Pogačar firmly in the yellow jersey, 4 minutes and 32 seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), and Isaac del Toro third in the overall standings at 6:51 and leader of the white young riders' jersey.

There's another objective at stake, however: the team classification . On stage 17, UAE lost ground to Lidl-Trek, and Yates could prove crucial in this context, given that the team prize is awarded based on the times of the top three riders from each team on each stage. A recovered Yates could make the difference in the two key days leading up to Alpe d'Huez.