“I think he is so special,” Sivakov said, “that there is nothing to learn. Tadej is an alien in cycling, as if he comes from another planet. Maybe you can learn from his approach to cycling and to life in general. I think for younger riders he can be an example in that sense too. Despite being a superstar, he always remains a very simple person. And I find the way he handles all the pressure around him astonishing.”
Racing with Pogacar changes the race, not the preparation
Sivakov’s comments come from a perspective few riders can offer. After leaving Ineos Grenadiers for UAE, the Frenchman has moved into one of the most powerful team structures in modern cycling, working both for his own chances and in support of Pogacar when the calendar brings them together.
“I raced again with Tadej at Liege and Romandie, and I like doing that,” Sivakov said. “Honestly, it’s fantastic, but it doesn’t affect the work very much. The preparation doesn’t change, I always train in the same way: the only thing that changes is the way we race.”
That distinction matters. Pogacar’s presence changes the race dynamic around UAE, not the way Sivakov prepares himself as a rider. It also underlines how the team is built. Riders have their own programmes, their own ambitions and their own preparation, but when Pogacar is present, the racing situation around UAE inevitably shifts.
Pavel Sivakov at the 2026 Liège-Bastogne-Liège
A leader others cannot simply copy
While Pogacar’s level can look like something worth studying, Sivakov made clear that there are limits to what can actually be copied. The Slovenian’s strength may inspire admiration inside the team, but it does not offer a simple blueprint for the rest of the peloton.
“I don’t know,” Sivakov added when asked how Pogacar handles everything around him. “On the bike, everyone can see that he is simply one step above the others and, if you try to imitate him, you could hit a wall. But for the rest, and from what I see, I’m really impressed by the way he does things. I find it crazy.”
That is where the praise becomes more revealing than a simple tribute to Pogacar’s results. Sivakov is not presenting him as a rider whose every move can be studied and replicated. Instead, the UAE domestique is drawing a clear line between Pogacar’s exceptional sporting level and the more human qualities that can be understood inside the team.
The message is not that younger riders should try to race like Pogacar. Sivakov’s point is closer to the opposite. Pogacar’s physical level may be out of reach, but his attitude, simplicity and ability to absorb pressure without being reshaped by it are what stand out from close range.
Life inside UAE’s winning machine
Sivakov’s own place inside UAE also adds weight to the comments. Once one of the standout under-23 stage race talents in the sport, he has become part of a team where elite riders often have to balance personal ambitions with the demands of supporting the strongest rider in the world.
He has no regrets about that shift. Sivakov said his move away from Team Sky and Ineos came at the right time in his career, describing UAE as a team where Mauro Gianetti and Joxean Matxin listen to riders and know how to reward them.
“I arrived here at the right moment: Gianetti and Matxin manage us very well, they listen to us and they know how to reward the riders,” he said. “So I don’t think there is a better approach, because both have been positive.”
That environment has become one of the defining features of UAE’s rise. Even when Pogacar is absent, the team continues to win through riders who would command leadership elsewhere. Sivakov himself has had a difficult start to the season, including a month away from racing after abandoning Paris-Nice, but he returned through the Ardennes and Romandie as part of the wider UAE machine.
“The season didn’t start very well, to be honest,” he admitted. “I never had the best sensations. As a rider, you always think you’ll get over the difficulties and start feeling better, but that didn’t happen for me. I’m grateful to the team for allowing me to recover and rest after I abandoned Paris-Nice.”