"I don't think we've ever been arrogant" - UAE DS Gianetti on Pogacar, Visma, Tour de France accusations and Roger Federer comparison

This Tour de France has delivered all kinds of action, and at this point in the race, with two stages remaining, it's safe to say we've got a physically and mentally exhausted Tadej Pogacar. UAE Team Emirates - XRG talked about the likely winner of the 2025 race alongside the tension with Team Visma | Lease a Bike, the accusations of the team being arrogant and more.

"We say to ourselves that we're still close to Paris, and that's a good thing. We had another great day," Gianetti said after the end of stage 19 in words to Cyclism'Actu. "We tried, Tadej still wanted to try to win this stage. He was left alone without a teammate, but even Jonas didn't have one, so he had to take responsibility for riding because Jonas wanted to play his part, which is normal. We still have to stay a little focused, but we're getting closer".

There was certainly a mental game on the climb to La Plagne, with Vingegaard reversing his tactics and not trying to attack, but instead try and net a stage win against a Pogacar that looked to have some pressure to chase the result - but ultimately did not chase down Thymen Arensman. "I think it was a game of nerves between him and Jonas. Jonas was able to make the climb on Tadej's wheel, so he had saved some energy for the sprint, and I think Tadej thought he would attack early enough to catch Arensman and sprint to win the stage, but Vingegaard thought the same thing:

"I hope he attacks early enough so we can catch Aresman and beat him in the sprint. Both of them played a bit on the expectation that the other would attack early enough, but in the end, neither attacked, and Arensman deserved the victory". Ultimately, it's not a result that bothers UAE much, as Pogacar survived the final mountain stage and carries over 4 minutes of lead on Vingegaard, whom he will beat directly for a second years in a row.

It's a special moment for Gianetti who recalls the year when he met the Slovenian. "When I first met him, personally, I had a truly special feeling. It's the same feeling I had when I first met Roger Federer, when he was 18. He wasn't yet world number one; he was a young man growing up in tennis. I felt an incredible energy, someone who was truly something more than a champion of a sport. I called my wife and said 'I think I've met someone who's going to become something exceptional in sport because I've never had that feeling'."

"And when I met Tadej personally, who was 18, I had the same feeling. I felt overwhelmed by a personality, an energy, a calmness; he was the same as Federer. So I said to myself, well, we're going to be surprised by this guy".

With Pogacar winning 4 stages in the first 13 days, and the team's aggressive aproach to blocking and chasing breakaways on some specific days - and riders at times - UAE has been accused of being arrogant by some pundits. "But I don't think we've ever been arrogant," Gianetti responds. "It's a shame because I think it's been a fair battle with Vingegaard and everyone else for the past four or five years".

"Sometimes we use words or situations to talk about arrogance, but I think it's wrong because we're fair, we're doing our race, and it's normal for us to try to win. We respect everyone, so I think it's a bit of gratuitous criticism that goes against what we've been seeing for the past five years. The fact that Tadej and Jonas are also strong, who put on a show, and the fact that there are other strong teams like Red Bull, it pushes everyone to work harder, to be more focused, so that this sport is as beautiful as possible. What we've seen in recent years is a great story between us and Visma".

Gianetti, he himself involved in doping scandals in the past, was also asked directly about it, taking into consideration also Pogacar's stellar performances that are above the entire Tour de France competition. "Cycling unfortunately has a rather unsavory history, but it's true that cycling has evolved so well now that it's a bit of a shame," he adds. "It's part of an old culture, and it's difficult to do anything about it. In other sports, we appreciate champions, whether in tennis, basketball, or whatever, but we have a bit of trouble accepting that there are great champions in cycling too."