"Pogacar is so strong that no matter the team there will be doubts concerning him" - UAE manager Mauro Gianetti
CyclingSaturday, 25 July 2026 at 15:48
Doping has been a point of concern at the 2026 Tour de France, with night-time testing for several riders including Tadej Pogacar; and constant accusations on social media. UAE Team Emirates - XRG manager Mauro Gianetti was asked about the yellow jersey, as well as his own controversial past, as the race comes to and end.
Gianetti tackles difficult doping question
GIanetti was, from 2004 to 2011, sports director the former Saunier Duval team (which was termed Geox towards its end). The likes of Riccardo Riccó and Juan José Cobo, convicted dopers, were only some of the faces in one of the teams that have most negatively the sport in its entire history.
Gianetti was one of the faces behind the team, and has hence been heavily linked with the topic of doping throughout the past decades. Despite this, he was hired to lead UAE Team Emirates - XRG upon its creation in 2017, and has guided the team towards tremendous success.
It is however because of that success that there is a lot of focus and questions regarding his past. Gianetti on his end was asked directly about Saunier Duval, and has looked to distance himself from the disgraced team.
"I made the mistake of taking them in my team. I should have reacted differently, been clearer with the press, explain that I was a victim," he said in words to L'Équipe.
Effectively, UAE's manager puts the blame on the riders themselves, arguing that in their own personal bubbles, they were executing their own programs behind Gianetti's back.
"Just as you don't know what your children do in their bedrooms, you don't know what riders do in their homes".
Mauro Gianetti and Tadej Pogacar
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Tadej Pogacar will always be subject to doubts
The other main face in UAE's management is Joxean Matxín, who was also part of the Saunier Duval team's management at the same time as Gianetti. Having these men backing up and leading the team that features what is now considered to be one of the very best riders in cycling history (if not the best) creates valid questions.
Tadej Pogacar turned professional in 2019 and has, over his career, taken 126 professional wins at age 27. Amongst these are four Tour de France overall wins (a record-matching fifth win appears inevitable this Sunday in Paris); 26 stage wins at the Tour; two World titles; 13 monuments and so much more.
Pogacar is the representative of the sport currently and races not only at a level that is vastly superior to his competitors on most terrains; his versatility is also unlike anything ever seen before. In 2025, he was the only rider to race all five monuments, and was the first in history to finish on the podium of all five.
Pogacar is a rider that is above the competition, with no sign of stopping or slowing down anytime soon. Backed by a UAE that currently has the largest budget in professional cycling, it becomes a combination that is almost impossible for 99% of the peloton to be a challenge.
The Slovenian has also been under scrutiny in this Tour, and his level is potentially the highest in his career (the 7/Wkg up Alpe d'Huez, with 35 minutes in duration, raised further questions) currently. On the maillot jaune, Gianetti believes these doubts would always appear no matter what.
"In any case, Pogacar is so strong that no matter the team there will be doubts concerning him," he argued. "I'm doing my job, I've brought more than 600 million euros into cycling, getting contracts signed, salaries…"
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.
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- Partners in crime CO rebreathing - untestable dopingJakob26-07-2026
- I'm more surprised that Skjelmose performs better than him during this Tour. He tried too hard.
KerisVroom26-07-2026 - You've missed my point. I didn't defend UCI, nor Mauro. On contrary, I wonder if this attestation procedure could be abused in practice, and if there are active riders who use this approach, for a legitimate purpose or maybe not.
raven25-07-2026 - awesome story, your husband must be proud of youwhkman25-07-2026
- I mean lance bribed people at the uci to keep their mouths shut. the uci isn't that credible. and mauro is even less crediblewhkman25-07-2026
- He's an extraordinary character. A race leader who rather sacrifice his stage win, not once, not twice but thrice for his teammate during the biggest stage race in the world. This has never been done before. I don't think it will be done again. Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy this while Tadej is still in his peak. The show won't last forever.KerisVroom25-07-2026
- And he’s already missing half a tooth from an earlier stage!!!mij25-07-2026
- I’m hoping that he would take the win at the Champs-Élysées too ;) but his critics will then say he’s selfish or he’s making the race “boring”.b3tlla25-07-2026
- Pogacar = 🥱
leedorney25-07-2026 - Pogacar = 🥱leedorney25-07-2026
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