\u201cI raced again with Tadej at Liege and Romandie, and I like doing that,\u201d Sivakov said. \u201cHonestly, it\u2019s fantastic, but it doesn\u2019t affect the work very much. The preparation doesn\u2019t change, I always train in the same way: the only thing that changes is the way we race.\u201d<\/p>\n
That distinction matters. Pogacar\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
![\"Pavel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/liegebastogneliege2026-pavelsivakov-69ef2ff5b1454.jpg@webp.webp\")
<\/p>\n
Pavel Sivakov at the 2026 Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge<\/p>\n
A leader others cannot simply copy<\/p>\n
While Pogacar\u2019s level can look like something worth studying, Sivakov made clear that there are limits to what can actually be copied. The Slovenian\u2019s strength may inspire admiration inside the team, but it does not offer a simple blueprint for the rest of the peloton.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Sivakov added when asked how Pogacar handles everything around him. \u201cOn 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\u2019m really impressed by the way he does things. I find it crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n
That is where the praise becomes more revealing than a simple tribute to Pogacar\u2019s 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\u2019s exceptional sporting level and the more human qualities that can be understood inside the team.<\/p>\n
The message is not that younger riders should try to race like Pogacar. Sivakov\u2019s point is closer to the opposite. Pogacar\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Life inside UAE\u2019s winning machine<\/p>\n
Sivakov\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I don\u2019t think there is a better approach, because both have been positive.\u201d<\/p>\n
That environment has become one of the defining features of UAE\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe season didn\u2019t start very well, to be honest,\u201d he admitted. \u201cI never had the best sensations. As a rider, you always think you\u2019ll get over the difficulties and start feeling better, but that didn\u2019t happen for me. I\u2019m grateful to the team for allowing me to recover and rest after I abandoned Paris-Nice.\u201d<\/p>\n