UAE DS on Pogacar's Fleche Wallonne return: "He does not have to make the race again from 50 kilometers to the finish"

Behind many of Tadej Pogacar's wins this years is a long solo attack and a story to go along with it. At Amstel Gold Race he attempted to do so once again, but this time it did not work out and he was beaten by Mattias Skjelmose in the final sprint. UAE Team Emirates - XRG DS has warned the World Champion against doing the same at Flèche Wallonne.

“In any case, he still needs a strong incentive on Wednesday or Thursday to be completely ready for Liège-Bastogne-Liège. So yes, he will ride the Flèche Wallonne. But he does not have to make the race again from 50 kilometers to the finish or necessarily win".

The Italian manager is behind the wheel throughout much of Pogacar's season, however at Amstel he saw how this aggressive tactic of the Slovenian can backfire. Some have argued that he did not need to be present at Flèche Wallonne and instead recover towards Liège-Bastogne-Liège where it seems like he will not have an easy task, Gianetti instead approaches the mid-week classic triying to put as least pressure as possible on his leader.

"He rides because he wants to, but it is not a must. We also have other riders in the team who are suitable for a race like the Fleche Wallonne," Gianetti said in a podcast for RTBF. Realistically however, the team will work for Pogacar, who continues to be the main favourite for the ascent to the Mur de Huy.

Fatigue wise, there seems to be no concern at the moment: “We are not worried, because we knew that recovering from the fatigue after Paris-Roubaix would be the hardest part. But in the end we saw in the Amstel that his form was good.” Ultimately this comes as a result of the option to do only one stage-race this season (the UAE Tour, already two months ago, skipping the main ones).

“After Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Tadej will have thirteen days of racing under his belt since the start of the season. They are all big races, of course — races that he always rides in his own way: with spectacle, with dedication. But the Flèche Wallonne simply fits well into the program.”