{"id":278368,"date":"2025-11-11T20:30:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T20:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/278368\/"},"modified":"2025-11-11T20:30:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T20:30:08","slug":"id-see-geraint-thomas-and-chris-froome-doing-more-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/278368\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI’d see Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome doing more and more\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nA lesson in pressure and overtraining<\/p>\n

Sivakov\u2019s self-analysis cuts unusually deep. The 2019 season \u2014 when he claimed the Tour of the Alps, Tour de Pologne, and finished ninth at the Giro d\u2019Italia aged just 22 \u2014 once looked like the launchpad to stardom. But what followed was a sobering education in pressure, perfectionism and burnout.<\/p>\n

\u201c2019 was my breakout season, then I had two or three years where I didn\u2019t develop as I would have liked,\u201d he said. \u201cI struggled a little bit, maybe mentally first of all. For sure I put too much pressure on myself, trying to do too much. Perhaps I wasn\u2019t confident enough to listen to myself and I just followed my coach\u2019s training plans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like many riders in the Sky and INEOS systems of that era, Sivakov was swept up by the team\u2019s famously obsessive training culture. \u201cI\u2019d see Geraint Thomas<\/a> and Chris Froome<\/a> doing more and more,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI was this young guy and I wanted to do the same. Then you start to be too stressed, you train too much, you diet too much, and you maybe even crash a bit too much. It becomes a vicious circle.\u201d<\/p>\n

That mindset, he admitted, was partly inherited. \u201cIt comes a little bit from my roots \u2014 maybe with my parents, the Soviet style \u2014 where even if you\u2019re dead, you train, you do the hours, you do more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"1059612514\"\/<\/p>\n

Sivakov rode for Sky\/INEOS for six seasons between 2018 and 2023<\/p>\n

Finding a new rhythm at UAE<\/p>\n

When Sivakov left INEOS for UAE Team Emirates – XRG in 2024, it was more than a transfer \u2014 it was a change of philosophy. Pogacar\u2019s looser, instinct-driven approach offered a different model of excellence, one that Sivakov found both refreshing and liberating.<\/p>\n

\u201cTadej has the capacity to stay calm and not really get stressed about stuff. I\u2019m not like that \u2014 I used to get stressed about the little details and eventually that would slow me down,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Within Pogacar\u2019s environment, Sivakov has learned to channel his work ethic more constructively. His 2025 campaign was far from smooth \u2014 an early win at the Vuelta a Andalucia was followed by illness at Paris-Nice, Catalunya and even the Tour de France \u2014 but it still showcased flashes of the class that once made him a headline name.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Tour was a big disappointment for me,\u201d he admitted. \u201cI wanted to be there with the boys and on form but I was getting dropped on the first climb. That was mentally hard because I know I\u2019m better than that. But we created a really good bond in the Tour and that helped me make it to Paris. I suffered personally but I was again part of the Tour-winning team \u2014 that\u2019s always special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still hungry for more<\/p>\n

Far from settling into a purely support role, Sivakov insists his ambition remains intact. The 28-year-old believes he is still on an upward curve and heading into the strongest phase of his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still progressing every year, my numbers are getting better and better,\u201d he said. \u201cI honestly think I will come into my best years, because I\u2019ve learnt how to manage myself so much more. I still have ambitions. I want to win. I\u2019m happy to work for Tadej and the team when I can make a difference but I still want to try to win races, to go on the attack and fight for the victory. That\u2019s what I train for every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sivakov\u2019s reflections speak to a rider who has made peace with the unpredictable nature of professional cycling \u2014 and who has finally found a space where personal growth and team sacrifice can coexist. In the shadows of giants like Pogacar, he has rediscovered his own light.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A lesson in pressure and overtraining Sivakov\u2019s self-analysis cuts unusually deep. The 2019 season \u2014 when he…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":278369,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,784,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-278368","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-cycling","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=278368"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278368\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/278369"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=278368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=278368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=278368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}