Gianetti explains UAE's bold strategy behind Pogacar's Tourmalet demolition

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) launched his decisive move with 42.5km remaining on the Col du Tourmalet after his teammates had set a relentless pace on the climb, eventually finishing 2:38 ahead of Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike). 

The world champion now holds a commanding lead of 2:42 over the Dane after the first major mountain test of the Tour. Despite the emphatic performance, Gianetti held a level of caution when asked if UAE had effectively wrapped up the Tour. 

"That would be brilliant, but as we know, there are still some big stages to come," Gianetti told Cyclismactu.net. 

"We don't really know what explains Vingegaard's performance, whether he was having a good day or a bad day. That's what we need to see, so we have to keep things in perspective."

Gianetti confirmed that UAE had executed the stage almost exactly as planned. After successively increasing the pace on the Col d'Aspin and Tourmalet, Isaac del Toro’s acceleration with Pogačar on his wheel saw the rest of the competition unable to respond before the world champion pushed on solo a few hundred metres later.

"Yes, that was the plan. The plan was to go all out on the Aspin, and to go even harder on the Tourmalet if possible,” said Gianetti.

"Because to be able to attack and make a difference against riders like Jonas [Vingegaard] and the others, we still had to put them under a bit of pressure beforehand. Otherwise, it's not easy. Even though Tadej is Tadej, the others are champions too."

Pogačar had also confirmed the strategy had been discussed before the stage, saying UAE "committed" to the aggressive approach and raced with "nothing to lose."

The team principal also admitted that he didn’t expect Pogačar to be back in yellow this soon, having started the stage 7:53 behind Torstein Træen (Uno-X Mobility).

Træen was distanced on the Tourmalet, and by the summit it was apparent that Pogačar was on his way back to yellow. 

Then, Træen unfortunately suffered a crash on the descent of the Tourmalet, and although he finished the stage, he was forced to abandon overnight after being diagnosed with a concussion and suffering multiple rib fractures. 

"We didn't expect to reclaim the jersey today. But well, that's how it is, and we'll just have to make the best of it," said Gianetti, who once more rejected the suggestion that Pogačar's performance had decided the Tour already.

"Decided? No, not at all. Because it's only the first proper climb we've tackled in this Tour. The Tour is long; we need to stay focused."