"The Tour de France isn't a calculator" - Gianetti confirms Pogacar's good form but not overconfidence

Tadej Pogacar is using the Tour de Suisse to prepare his Tour de France participation and he has been confirming his great form. Over the opening two stages, he has been ruling over the race, whilst UAE Team Emirates - XRG's block looks ready for the Tour as well. Team DS Mauro Gianetti has shared his thoughts after the Slovenian's masterful opening stage win.

"The team is working well, we are making progress, and our riders are in good condition. Joxean Matxin will decide who goes to the Tour," Gianetti shared with In de Leiderstrui. Despite having previously confirmed himself that the Tour de France was not in his plans, somehow João Almeida emerged as a name that is a possibility from the words of Gianetti - although he does add that it is an unlikely scenario.

"João Almeida seems to be the only question mark. He has not recovered well from a virus, so we do not expect him in July. His recovery is more important, and the rest of the team is in good shape".

Only Adam Yates' recovery and build-up provide questions towards UAE's lineup for the Tour de France, with Felix Grossschartner showing his good form in Suisse as well. The Emirati team is not alone in this scenario however, with Team Visma | Lease a Bike also having to replace Wout Van Aert and Christophe Laporte from their originally planned lineup.

Approaching Suisse, Tadej Pogacar was in good form. But the team needed to be assured that this would translate to results on the road. "We know the numbers from training, but when you pin a number on someone, you still look for confirmation".

On stage 1, a solo attack of around 70 kilometers was good evidence of that, sealing the overall classification right from the first day. "It wasn't the plan to attack from so far out, but we did want to control the race. We wanted to win and take the leader's jersey, and test our form. But he went already".

"We knew it wasn't an ideal day to try something, but this race is only five days long, so we wanted to seize our opportunities," Gianetti explained. "Tadej was happy with his effort on a hot and challenging day. I think he found all the answers he was looking for".

"It was what it was, and Tadej ultimately does what he has done before. He took the situation as it was. In the group behind, there was some gambling going on, of course. Tadej is an asset to the sport because he always puts on a show. He gives something to the people and doesn't just win, he wins with panache. We are seeing something special, and the riders in the peloton know that too. They have respect for Tadej.'

Stage 2 saw a Pogacar that was visibly focused on the health of his partner Urska Zigart who suffered a serious crash earlier in the day and was diagnosed with a broken jaw. In the finale he looked to support teammate Jhonatan Narváez in the pursuit of a result but ultimately the Ecuadorian did not have the legs. Pogacar attacked the final climb of the day and rode to the finish together with Mathias Vacek, thus extending his lead.

Every sign points towards a Pogacar reaching his very best level once again, with a time trial and high mountain stage still remaining in the race to test his form. But despite this, the team will not grow overconfident, knowing the quality of their rivals.

"The Tour de France isn't a calculator," Gianetti assures. "The level is very good right now, but we need to see Tadej in the Tour first. He has another three weeks there to grow. Jonas Vingegaard? He knows exactly who Tadej is, and he works hard to be his best self. But so do we".