Tadej Pogacar does have a weak spot, according to main rival Geraint Thomas: "I think he might overestimate their ability sometimes"
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar, so far, looks unbeatable at the Giro d'Italia when it comes to the fight for the pink jersey. This is not quite true according to his rivals however, and Geraint Thomas sees a trend which can be a weak spot in UAE Team Emirates' armour.
"His Achilles heel is the fact he's so strong and he wants to win, and his team also wants to win. It seems like they get a bit emotional with it," Thomas said in the Watts Occuring podcast. "All the rest of his team are normal bike riders. They'll have a good day, then the next day, they'll be not so good, whereas Pog's good all the time. I think he might overestimate their ability sometimes. I don't mean any disrespect there by saying that. They need to sort of look after those pennies, don't they?"
The leader of INEOS Grenadiers argues that UAE puts in a lot of work in the front of the peloton, not always necessarily. This has already been the case over the past years - most notably at the Tour de France. This year it could be argued that this was the case on stage 1 where Pogacar then lacked teammates to control the finale; stage 6 where the team controlled the breakaway but then decided to not bring them back in the final kilometers; and now in Thomas' words: stage 8 as well to Prati di Tivo (where the Slovenian did win the stage.
"They could have backed off if they wanted to. But because the break was just there – it was only at a minute and a half or something – they just rode and kept it within distance, and went for it. Why do you even need to do that?" Thomas questions.
Whilst Pogacar did win the stage, the experienced leader of INEOS adds in a friendly tone that he would prefer to have his team think long-term in the race. "Save the boys, because there's definitely big, big days to come, and there's going to be a point where they might need all hands on deck," he argues. "Or at least someone other than Majka as well to be there."
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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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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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Front24208-11-2026
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🏳️The start of Stage 10 has been given in the streets of Pompeii! #GirodItalia
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