TOULOUSE, France (Velo) — Tadej Pogačar nervous about the imminent attacks in the Pyrénées?
No way, says the lead sport director at UAE Emirates-XRG.
Despite a trio of summit finishes looming in the Pyrénées and the tightening vise of Visma-Lease a Bike, UAE Emirates-XRG insists their leader remains an island of calm heading into the race’s decisive second week.
“Tadej is very confident. I don’t see him nervous,” sport director Andrej Hauptman told Velo. “He is nervous at the start of the race, but then he goes full-gas, and then everything is OK. That is normal for a big champion.
“When he is in race mode, he is not nervous. I do not see any problems or any nerves.”
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Pogačar will feel the absence of João Almeida, a podium-caliber rider who was expected to cover his flanks all the way to Paris.
“For sure we will miss João, he could be in the first three on GC in this Tour,” Hauptman said. “But the team is strong. It’s a great group. Pavel is OK. I am sure Tadej will have the support he needs in the Pyrénées and Alps.”
Can Visma crack Pogačar?
Visma continues to turn the screws at this Tour, one twist at a time.
The Killer Bees have been racing aggressively since the start, with the idea to grind down his UAE teammates to attack Pogačar going into week three.
Monday’s grind in the Massif Central saw Pogačar alone late in the stage, but the Slovenian lashed out with a stinging attack to remind everyone who’s boss.
“Visma will try to attack us — that’s normal. They are a really strong team. They will do the best tactic for them,” Hauptman said with a shrug. “We don’t have any problem with that. We just need to respond to that.”
Tadej Pogacar Joao Almeida pic.twitter.com/nbtXuJoo4U
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Jhonatan Narváez, the Ecuadorian puncheur, admitted Almeida’s early exit will put more pressure on the rest of the team to step up.
“When someone like João Almeida leaves the race, it means more work for everyone else,” Narváez said Wednesday. “I am not a pure climber for the high mountains, and I don’t believe there’s anyone on the team who could do the job that João was supposed to do.
“We will work hard to control the stage, and we believe we have the riders to do that.”
Pyrénées crunch time
Pogačar will ride into the Pyrénées — barring disaster in Wednesday’s 11th stage — with a time advantage over all of his direct yellow jersey rivals.
And why should he be nervous? Pogačar’s won two stages and finished second in two others, and has yet to lose any time to a direct GC challenger.
The upcoming triple-punch in the Pyrénées — including Hautacam, Superbagnères, and the Peyragudes time trial — will shake things up. UAE is hoping to hold its position and widen the gaps.
“Of course, the Pyrénées are very important this year,” Hauptman said. “With Hautacam, the time trial, and the Superbagnères — ufff — that will show us a lot.
“But there is still a lot to come. If you gain time or even if you lose, there is still so much that can happen.”
Vingegaard has matched every move from Pogačar, except losing time in the stage 5 time trial.
Now, with Sepp Kuss and Simon Yates climbing well, and Matteo Jorgenson powering in the top-5 on GC, the Dutch squad has a tactical advantage.
But UAE has Pogačar, who can race defensively to cover the moves or come out swinging.
“You need to be ready to respond to everything, and when it’s time, you need to be ready to attack,” Hauptman said. “I think Tadej is great in this aspect.
“Pyrenees or Alps? I don’t see the big differences. We are quite sure that it will be OK in both, but this is the Tour, and everything can happen.”