“We have always been clear about our leaders from the start, Dominika and Elisa. That has never been different,” Pridham explained, while also acknowledging that there is still an opening for Blasi in the race. “Of course, we can see an opportunity for Paula,” she added.
Her comments follow Blasi’s own admission that, at times, it is difficult to get the more experienced riders to work for her precisely because of her youth. A situation which, according to the Spaniard, can create frustration when she believes she has a chance to fight for a major result.
Elisa Longo Borghini is currently fourth at the Tour de France Femmes
The UAE Team director defends harmony on the women’s team bus
Pridham, however, offered a different take and sought to defuse any sense of internal conflict. The British director highlighted the riders’ unity and insisted the atmosphere on the bus is good, despite the demands of a race like the Tour.
“The girls are united and share the team’s objective,” she said. For Pridham, having three riders in the top ten of the standings proves the strategy is working and that everyone is keeping their chances alive.
The director also addressed the impact of the media spotlight on Blasi. “She is taking everything into her own hands, all the noise with the media, and all of that is very hard for all of us, for the whole team,” she acknowledged. That exposure, Pridham added, has forced the team to manage an unusual situation during an already extremely demanding race.
Far from seeing that pressure as a sign of fracture, Pridham believes it is part of what it means to compete at the Tour de France. “They deal with the media in a very different way and that is something else we have had to manage. But this is the Tour de France, so we expect it,” she noted.
With three riders in the top 10, UAE Team L'IMAD enters the second half of the race with its goals intact. Wlodarczyk and Longo Borghini remain the key references, but Blasi still has the door open to seize any opportunity. Today's stage into Mont Ventoux should further solidify the overall classification.