"Make sure Tadej Pogacar stays in control of the Tour" - UAE DS shares simple and direct goal for Massif Central day
Cycling
Easier said than done, but UAE Team Emirates - XRG is going into stage 10 of the Tour de France with the goal of keeping the race under control for Tadej Pogacar. With the looming threat of an explosive and hilly day and a hungry Team Visma | Lease a Bike, doing so will likely already require an all-out effort.
The weekend provided two flat stages where on paper the team would be able to recover from it's first days of racing, but that didn't prove to be the case too much. The Tour had it's second fastest ever stage on Sunday averaging over 50Km/h and frequent attempts at echelons, where Pogacar was often isolated. Worst than that, the team had to see João Almeida withdraw from the race following the consequences of his injuries.
“I mostly feel sorry about João Almeida having to abandon. We’ve lost our lieutenant. The guy who finished fourth in the Tour last year," Gianetti said following the stage to Cyclism'Actu. "He could have played a role. Having two riders in the GC, that really helps, tactically speaking".
Read also
Into stage 10 there is a fragile UAE who may need Pogacar to respond to attacks early on if Visma really do go all-out with a tactical move and include Matteo Jorgenson in it's early offensive plans. There will be 4500 meters of climbing and most of them through climbs that are not brutal, meaning lots of riders have a chance of getting themselves in the day's breakaway and work with whomever may be there.
“Make sure Tadej Pogacar stays in control of the Tour. I see a complex and very tough stage. It’s going to be a big challenge," the team's sports director admits. "We’ll see who does well and who doesn’t. It’s an important stage and everyone’s looking forward to it. We’ve already come a long way in this Tour. Some people say the real Tour starts tomorrow, and while it is true that we start a different Tour tomorrow, the riders are already carrying a lot of fatigue in their legs from the first eight days.”
The Italian was asked about the team's main rival and who they may be afraid of, but he rejects the idea that this Tour is only a head-to-head battle with Jonas Vingegaard. “I’ve said it before, we’re afraid of everyone. Not just Jonas Vingegaard. There’s also Remco Evenepoel, Kévin Vauquelin..." he replies. "If you look at history, of course we’re most wary of Vingegaard. He’s only 1 minute and 17 seconds behind, which is good for us. But he’s still a two-time Tour winner, and he deserves a lot of respect".
Read also
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I have no sympathy for Ayuso or the situations he gets himself into. He was a traitor in the UAE team, he hated Pogi and never wanted to work for him. He always had excuses why he couldn't perform. No riders in the team liked his character and did not approve the kind of person he was on a deep, moral, or personal level. I just don't care about him. Ad acta.PogiSloFans11-11-2026
- Great response! I love the article also. Interesting to see which "Legends" will be covered. There are a few out there :-)
DareDevil11-11-2026 - This is one of the reasons why Ineos is failing, G can comment on his pod but why has he not attracted talent from the peloton to Ineos. He has lot of inside track. Also ratcliffe handling of Man United is also disastrous.abstractengineer11-11-2026
- Theirs a few on the team who may be able to step up/progress to Grand Tour wins but that'll come, not in '27 tho 🤷 - Roglic mayve appealed on a 2 yr for immediate results but other riders would be set aside and the existing riders wouldn't like that
leedorney11-11-2026 - Hey @santiagobenites, that's why @leedorney is wrong. He doesn't see the bigger picture.PogiSloFans11-11-2026
- the rot started in 2022 with Bernal's accident Signings- Just super helpers and non winners. Foss GC Leaders - Reliance on injured Bernal and retiring G Talents - On domestique duty dont learn how to win. Sprinters - No top Sprinter signed Tactics- Outdated Save the leader, trains. Just money badly spent even though there were opportunitiesabstractengineer11-11-2026
- Whole team is a mess. They don't have any really top tier "podium lock" GT riders, and they don't really have a solid classics block. Just a bunch of spare parts. I don't know why any rider would go for them either. Feels like old mate with the money is likely to pull out at any given moment, and that doesn't bode well for their ability to jack up their budget and say "let's buy half a dozen shit-hot talents to ride support/lead our team" - which is what they probably need to do to get competitive again.wrsty11-11-2026
- Pogi is a Goat. He has power numbers that are once in a century. Jonas is a once in a generation, He has power numbers 1 level lower than Pogi. Even if both are equal which they were before 2024, Pogi would have won on sprint bonuses. For Jonas to win he has to crack Pogi, which is impossible. Therefore Giro is a good option considering the TT in TDF. He cannot win but if something happens to Pogi , he should be still in a position to win the TDF, Giro or no Giro, because the others are a level below him.abstractengineer11-11-2026
- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment