"It's better to be a team-mate of riders like Tadej Pogacar than to fight against them" - Pavel Sivakov content with UAE domestique role

Tadej Pogacar has been unquestionably the best rider on the planet in 2024, being so good some are even considering the Slovenian the best rider of all time. Although his long range solos might not show it, a key part of Pogacar's success is the strength of his UAE Team Emirates teammates, most of whom could be leaders themselves in other teams.

One of those is Frenchman Pavel Sivakov, who has just completed his first season at UAE Team Emirates following a transfer from the INEOS Grenadiers. Although Sivakov has long been viewed as a rider with big potential but in 2024 he has seemingly stepped up a level. Despite this however, leadership opportunities have become limited due to UAE Team Emirates' immense strength in depth. Despite this though, the 27-year-old is more than content to play a supporting role for riders such as Tadej Pogacar.

“I'm not going to say it's easy, because it's still difficult to be up to the task, but with a leader like him, it's easier to be a team-mate," Sivakov explains in conversation with Eurosport. "Every time, he's the one who wins when we do the job. It's a huge pleasure for us to know that when you start a race, you often finish with a victory, like we did in the Tour de France. Beyond that, he's still a normal guy. We do our job, we have fun, we laugh a lot. We have a very good relationship, we have a very good group in the team.”

“The ease with which he wins... He has really passed a milestone this year, we have all seen it. I didn't really expect all this," continues Sivakov, blown away by Pogacar's level in 2024 just like the rest of us. "The Tour de France, I really believed in it, but for him to win all the other races like that, in this way, it was really incredible. I think he impressed everyone. Often, it's instinctive. At the World Championships, we know that it's his instinct. When he decides to go, he goes and he is not afraid. I think that's also what makes him such a champion, he doesn't calculate. He knows what he can do. He often surprises his opponents as he did at the World Championships. I don't think anyone expected him to attack at 100km and he really put on a show.”

As mentioned, as far as Sivakov's own ambitions go, he's had to play second fiddle for most of the year, not that he's complaining though. “I have opportunities in some races but it's better to be a team-mate of riders like Pogacar than to fight against them. In the end, it creates a lot of opportunities,” he concludes. “We can take the example of Sepp Kuss who won the Vuelta. If he hadn't been a teammate of his leaders, I don't think he would have won the race. In a team with a very high level, it's always difficult to find your place, but when you manage to create opportunities, it's always easier. I'm more or less happy with my season. There is a small disappointment, it's the Criterium du Dauphine. I got sick, I didn't really do the race I would have liked. In the Vuelta a Espana, I have no regrets. I really tried a lot. It didn't always pay off, but I tried.”