"Of course they are" - INEOS' Ellingworth certain of UAE's vulnerability ahead of crucial stages

UAE Team Emirate are down to six riders in the Tour de France, one of them being actively infected with Covid-19. Tadej Pogacar has so far looked rock solid, however INEOS Grenadiers see the vulnerability within the race leader's team.

“I think they're vulnerable aren’t they? Of course they are. They will be thinking if they lose another man, certainly if they're lost Rafal Majka, they'd be in trouble," Ellingworth told CyclingWeekly. "It’s part of the game now. I don’t see it as any different to the normal set of health issues. At the end of the day it’s about keeping riders healthy so that’s always been part of the programme.”

So far INEOS Grenadiers have lost Daniel Martínez in the fight for the general classification, however they keep three options in Geraint Thomas, Adam Yates and Tom Pidcock. They have so far not taken advantage of that depth, however the high mountains will deliver another opportunity.

Ellingworth explained: “There's been times in the past when we were riding for Froomey and we had a bad day and we looked really vulnerable, but you bounce back and you stick together and I'm sure that's what they're going to do.”

As for the possibility of having Tom Pidcock used for the team's aggressive strategy, Ellingworth added: “The thing for Tom is it’s a bit of land of the unknown. He’s never been here before he’s here to soak up the Tour in its entirety."

"You can see that first few days he was on the front but he’s there on GC, why do anything other than try and race? We’re going to push and we’re going to not just be sat in the peloton and follow we’re going to be aggressive," he concluded.