Pavel Sivakov: You don't realise the legacy Pogačar will leave
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG man on riding for the peloton's No 1 rider and the problems facing his former team Ineos Grenadiers
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Pavel Sivakov turned professional with Ineos, then still Team Sky, in 2018. After six years with the team, in which he won the Vuelta a Burgos, Tour of the Alps, and the Tour de Pologne, he moved to UAE Team Emirates (now UAE Team Emirates-XRG) for the start of the 2024 season, with the switch instantly paying off.
The Frenchman thrived in his new environment, becoming one of Tadej Pogačar’s most loyal and effective domestiques. He finished sixth at Il Lombardia and recorded multiple top-ten finishes – including a third place on the queen stage to Cuitu Negru – en route to becoming UAE’s highest-placed rider at the Vuelta a España, in ninth overall.
“I’m really happy. It was a great season for me,” he said, speaking at the team’s training camp earlier this year. “Personally, I was looking for a change, and I think it was a good decision to switch teams. I’m also really grateful to be once again in one of the top teams, this year the best team.