UAE Team Emirates-XRG Team Manager Mauro Gianetti again watched in admiration as Tadej Pogačar won Strade Bianche for a fourth time.
Gianetti is often the first to hug and congratulate Pogačar beyond the finish line of major races. He signed the Slovenian as a teenager and helped him develop into the dominant force that he is today, yet he still becomes emotional when he wins big.
There were some doubts about Pogačar’s form on his 2026 season debut after a long winter of training but Gianetti was reassured by Pogačar’s training data and ambition.
Gianetti let slip what Pogačar’s rivals never want to hear.
Gianetti has his critics but he is always generous with his praise and support for every rider in the peloton. He praised Isaac del Toro for his third place and stopper role behind Pogačar but also praised Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) on his attempt to go with Pogačar on the gravel with 80km to race.
“We all expected Tadej to do what he has done so often and we know that Isaac is strong too but Paul Seixas was incredible, he’s perhaps the surprise at this year’s Strade Bianche. He’s only 19 and we can imagine what he will do in the future…”
Pogačar and Seixas will now take a break, while Del Toro leads UAE Team Emirates-XRG at Tirreno-Adriatico. Seixas will next race at Itzulia Basque Country, while Pogačar will head home to Montecarlo to prepare for Milan-San Remo, his next Classic goal of the 2026 spring.
Pogačar has still to win the La Classicissima and Gianetti will spend the next two weeks trying to build the strongest possible team to help launch an expected attack on the Cipressa climb and then the Poggio.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG are a dominant force in the men’s…
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