"Tadej doesn't need anything new to want to win" - Gianetti thinks Pidcock is a threat to Pogacar's Tour de France yellow jersey
CyclingSaturday, 18 July 2026 at 10:08
Mauro Gianetti insisted that Tadej Pogacar doesn't need a new danger to retain his motivation to win the 2026 Tour de France. The UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider commands the yellow jersey fight but faces a new threat after stage 13.
UAE have found themselves in the thick of the action in one form or another almost every stage of the race. Whether it's Pogacar and Isaac del Toro lighting up mountain stages or uphill sprints, or the team chasing a breakaway on non GC stages, the squad have been a constant.
The team were also in the heat of battle on Friday's stage, but this time in the breakaway themselves as Tim Wellens and Brandon McNulty turned their attention to a stage win. In a breakaway bonanza that saw 57 riders go up the road to fight for victory, a double-helping of climbs narrowed that down to just ten riders.
Despite having two riders in the race for the finish line, Mauro Schmid and Harold Tejada escaped the group and held off the chasers to take victory.
"Up front, they rode well, they worked together well," Gianetti told Cyclism'Actu.
"It was clear they were riding for the win. Everyone expected someone to take care of reeling in the two breakaway riders. I think we did our part. Mauro Schmid deserved this stage. Tejada deserved it too."
UAE miss out in breakaway as Pidcock takes big gains
As the massive breakaway broke clear, the peloton decided to take a day off behind and let the attackers go, in turn allowing them almost eight minutes of an advantage by the finish. Tom Pidcock found his way into the group and made massive GC gains as he moved to fourth place and 4:15 off Pogacar.
"We have to keep one goal clear: the Tour de France, and therefore the overall victory. Of course, we need to win stages, and we're well positioned. But we're also expecting attacks from other teams.
"Pidcock gained five and a half minutes; he's back in the general classification. He's becoming a bit of a threat to us, as well as to the others... Tadej doesn't need anything new to want to win."
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Stages 14 and 15 offer a mountain feast for Pogacar to re-focus on the main goal - preserving or extending his hold on yellow. However, Gianetti insisted that the peloton are feeling the fatigue despite lower temperatures in recent days.
He added: "The Solaison plateau is a very beautiful climb; it's new and fascinating. The stage will be tough. We can expect two very interesting stages. There's a lot of fatigue, but the riders are breathing a bit easier than before; it's less hot."
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- Great win for the Aussie team. Brings a bit of life into the race.whit2pet18-07-2026
- They said the same thing last year..
leedorney18-07-2026 - Maybe he has a key role in the plan for the third week that Visma have been talking of.Hills3318-07-2026
- If every sport had a cycling audience, especially the French audience, there would be no Messi, Bolt, Phelps, Jordan, Djokovic, Nadal, Federer...none of them would exist, and if you asked foolish people "who was the best in those sports?"... the answer would be "NOBODY." They like different winners in every race...they don't like GOATS. That's why they hate Pogi-Baby Hulk.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales18-07-2026
- NO... you're not a Pogi fan, you're a Pogi hater, you're prooving it over and over again. Ad acta!!!mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales18-07-2026
- stoked for Mauro, he is so great and under appreciated as a rider. good for himmij18-07-2026
- lol. another great point.mij18-07-2026
- I find it irresponsible to keep in ill rider in the race. it isn’t good for him, it isn’t good for the peloton. in the “real world” we tell people to stay home. if they are that concerned about Matteo’s health that the need to transport him in his own vehicle, he shouldn’t be racing.mij18-07-2026
- I think your factory worker analogy is soooo pointless. Have you thought it through from a normal modern perspective or are you influenced by the image of several generations ago? Nobody from « here « these days is forced into factory work (or to stay there) and if that’s what you choose or end up with, it’s more a reflection of your life choices than the efforts you put in. I am also pretty sure plenty of them have talents (many people do) but very few have the courage to try to make something out of it). If you got rewarded in life for being like everyone else, we’d all be rich, except the rich :-) . Becoming a pro cyclists takes enormous effort, and sacrifices, including of spare time others waste during their time growing up, it also takes a lot of discipline, navigating a complex life, it’s risky and precarious and exposes you to all sorts of societal ails. There are plenty of reasons why MOST people are happy enough (won’t stop them complaining though) doing a routine mundane job with total freedom between shifts all their life not to ever try something else.Mistermaumau18-07-2026
- I get your point. my question is more rhetorical than anything. the Movistar rider Cian was racing unwell and the team was crucified for it. In today’s workplace, if someone is unwell, we tell them to stay home. I guess they care more about results than the rider’s health.mij18-07-2026
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