“I'd see Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome doing more and more” - Pavel Sivakov explains how UAE & Tadej Pogacar unlocked his true potential after leaving INEOS

Pavel Sivakov has never been afraid to dig into the difficult questions about his own career. Once tipped as a Grand Tour winner in waiting, the Frenchman’s path has instead evolved into something more complex — and, in his eyes, far more meaningful.

In a revealing end-of-season interview with Cycling News, Sivakov reflected on the highs and lows that have shaped his journey from INEOS Grenadiers prospect to trusted lieutenant for Tadej Pogacar at UAE Team Emirates - XRG — and how the move has finally helped him rediscover both balance and belief.

Sivakov’s self-analysis cuts unusually deep. The 2019 season — when he claimed the Tour of the Alps, Tour de Pologne, and finished ninth at the Giro d’Italia aged just 22 — once looked like the launchpad to stardom. But what followed was a sobering education in pressure, perfectionism and burnout.

“2019 was my breakout season, then I had two or three years where I didn’t develop as I would have liked,” he said. “I struggled a little bit, maybe mentally first of all. For sure I put too much pressure on myself, trying to do too much. Perhaps I wasn’t confident enough to listen to myself and I just followed my coach’s training plans.”

Like many riders in the Sky and INEOS systems of that era, Sivakov was swept up by the team’s famously obsessive training culture. “I’d see Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome doing more and more,” he recalled. “I was this young guy and I wanted to do the same. Then you start to be too stressed, you train too much, you diet too much, and you maybe even crash a bit too much. It becomes a vicious circle.”

That mindset, he admitted, was partly inherited. “It comes a little bit from my roots — maybe with my parents, the Soviet style — where even if you’re dead, you train, you do the hours, you do more.”

When Sivakov left INEOS for UAE Team Emirates - XRG in 2024, it was more than a transfer — it was a change of philosophy. Pogacar’s looser, instinct-driven approach offered a different model of excellence, one that Sivakov found both refreshing and liberating.

“Tadej has the capacity to stay calm and not really get stressed about stuff. I’m not like that — I used to get stressed about the little details and eventually that would slow me down,” he said.

Within Pogacar’s environment, Sivakov has learned to channel his work ethic more constructively. His 2025 campaign was far from smooth — an early win at the Vuelta a Andalucia was followed by illness at Paris-Nice, Catalunya and even the Tour de France — but it still showcased flashes of the class that once made him a headline name.

“The Tour was a big disappointment for me,” he admitted. “I wanted to be there with the boys and on form but I was getting dropped on the first climb. That was mentally hard because I know I’m better than that. But we created a really good bond in the Tour and that helped me make it to Paris. I suffered personally but I was again part of the Tour-winning team — that’s always special.”

Far from settling into a purely support role, Sivakov insists his ambition remains intact. The 28-year-old believes he is still on an upward curve and heading into the strongest phase of his career.

“I’m still progressing every year, my numbers are getting better and better,” he said. “I honestly think I will come into my best years, because I’ve learnt how to manage myself so much more. I still have ambitions. I want to win. I’m happy to work for Tadej and the team when I can make a difference but I still want to try to win races, to go on the attack and fight for the victory. That’s what I train for every day.”

Sivakov’s reflections speak to a rider who has made peace with the unpredictable nature of professional cycling — and who has finally found a space where personal growth and team sacrifice can coexist. In the shadows of giants like Pogacar, he has rediscovered his own light.