"The only issue was Pavel Sivakov" - Mauro Gianetti sees concern within UAE's Tour de France ranks

With Joao Almeida having abandoned, the rest of UAE Team Emirates - XRG's Tour de France squad is required to step up in the quest to support Tadej Pogacar's fight for the Maillot Jaune. On stage 10 however, Pavel Sivakov was notably off the pace, dropping away early and spending the stage struggling over climbs in the gruppetto.

Although it ultimately didn't prove costly on stage 10, as Pogacar proved more than a match to any pressure put upon him by Team Visma | Lease a Bike, sports director Mauro Gianetti admits Sivakov's struggles is a slight cause for concern. “The winner is decided in Paris — not after week one or two. We have to take things day by day, and today was a good day," he assessed in conversation with the media post-stage.

"The only issue was Sivakov, who wasn’t at his best, but we expect he’ll be back on form soon,” Gianetti added hopefully. "The Tour is long, but it’s always better to be ahead than chasing."

With Pogacar somewhat isolated on the final climb, Team Visma | Lease a Bike put the pressure through Sepp Kuss, Matteo Jorgenson and even Jonas Vingegaard, but in the end, the two storied rivals crossed the line side by side, evenly matched once again.

“It was a brilliant stage. We expected to do quite a bit of work, but the team handled it well," Gianetti assessed. "The day unfolded more or less as anticipated. Visma weren’t under pressure to control the race, so they could send two riders up the road. That’s not an option for us, as we have to manage the race. They tried something late on with Jorgenson, but in the end, we’re pleased — everything was decided by just a few seconds.”

On the final climb, Pogacar himself then attacked. Vingegaard though, was glued to the Slovenian's back wheel. “It was a strong move by Pogacar," Gianetti concludes. "But also a very solid reaction from Vingegaard.”