"Tadej is certainly not in top form yet" - UAE responds to Johan Bruyneel's statements on Pogacar
Cycling
Is Tadej Pogacar at his best and playing with competition? UAE Team Emirates doesn't believe so, the team defends that the former Tour de France winner is still far from his best level and stand by the Slovenian's overhwhelming performances in his start to the season.
Recently Johan Bruyneel argued that “in the long run, killing everyone like this is not the best tactic. You want to keep some teams and riders on friendly terms, and that is also better physically. Now his teammates are riding themselves to pieces, so that Pogacar can win this race. Some of them now have to recover from that for two weeks.”
SPRING - Click here to create your own team for the Fantasy Spring Classics Men. 1st prize is $1,600/€1,500/£1,330!!
However, the Slovenian's team don't believe there is much to this argument, clearing out what the process was behind his flurry of spectacles at the Clasica Jaen Paraiso Interior and Vuelta a Andalucia, where he took four wins plus the GC in the latter. However “Tadej is certainly not in top form yet," team DS Mauro Gianetti tells Het Laatste Nieuws.
"We notice that in his data. Nowadays you can see all possible physical parameters of a rider and in the case of Pogacar they tell us that he is still far from his very best level. If you can win a race at 70%: why not? Remco Evenepoel also says that he is currently only at 85-90%. And look at how he's heading. Is he in shape too early in view of the Giro? Or is he just an exceptional rider? I go for the second option," he argues.
Read also
As for Joxean Matxin, manager at UAE, he backs Gianetti's statements: “Everyone has their own opinion of course, but… We must not forget that Tadej, unlike in recent years, has not yet been on an altitude training camp. And that his program was adapted with room for new challenges, for other races with other competitors. In this phase of the season, the focus is on relaxing and enjoying. And he does.”
In a desire to switch things up, Pogacar will skip his presence at Strade Bianche where he is the defending champion, so that he takes on Paris-Nice with his full focus in search of the overall win - and possible vengeance on Jonas Vingegaard.
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
- Pidcock finished 9th place, 29 minutes down. he is a helluva rider, so gutsy. and he is amazing at all disciplines. but this headline is . . .mij09-11-2026
- I know, watch the video. and listen to her competitors. it was a tricky tacky call at best. WTF is this guy talking about??? my original comment was from the picture it didn't look like anything.mij09-11-2026
- I dunno what you're talking about. you make no sense. MS's competitor and the competitors coach said it was BS. she didn't deviate in a way that relegation should be required. revel LOL. you're so cool, in your own mind.mij09-11-2026
- deviation lol, watch the videomij09-11-2026
- the 'No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines' comment was unfortunately a bit off. didn't you just boast about your principles in the comments section of another article?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment