UAE Team Emirates manager Mauro Gianetti rushed off the team bus to celebrate with staff and friends after Adam Yates won stage 1 of the Tour de France in Bilbao and took the first yellow jersey, while Tadej Pogačar finished third and picked up four bonus seconds on main rival Jonas Vingegaard.
Gianetti had been ridiculed after he suggested that Yates was his joint team leader alongside Pogačar, with some dismissing the idea as simple mind games to try to unsettle Vingegaard and Jumbo-Visma.
Some perhaps didn’t understand the subtleties of Gianetti’s leadership gameplay but he was proved right in Bilbao as UAE Team Emirates won the opening round of their 21-stage prize fight with their big rivals.
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Last year, Jumbo-Visma managed to crack Pogačar on the Alpine stage to the Col du Granon, with Vingegaard and teammate Primož Roglič taking turns to attack the isolated Slovenian.
This year UAE Team Emirates have more strategic options and they used them on stage 1, with Yates forcing the selection at the top of the Côte de Pike and then surging away with his brother as Pogačar followed the chasers behind. Vingegaard could only sit on Pogačar’s wheel and wait for his teammates to get back to the front, but their chase proved futile and Adam and Simon stayed away, with UAE Team Emirates taking the win and the first yellow jersey.
“It doesn’t always matter how many riders you have up front, it’s about their quality and how you use them,” Gianetti told Cyclingnews.
“Two leaders are better than one. That was clear on stage 1, it means we can play different tactics. Adam was impressive and deserved his chance up front, so we told him he could ride.
“We also got a confirmation that Tadej is in good shape too, because not many riders were up front. It was a perfect day for us.”
UAE Team Emirates and Jumbo-Visma have been fighting for supremacy for two years and their mind games and strategic moves have intensified in 2023.
Both teams want to win the Tour and top the world rankings. That has led to them delaying team announcements for major races to the last minute, suddenly changing rosters, hiding the form of their team leaders and, of course, racing intensely.
Jumbo-Visma won the Giro d’Italia with Roglič but that has left them with just Vingegaard as leader at the Tour. Sepp Kuss, Wilco Kelderman and Wout van Aert are there in support and not as team leaders.
UAE Team Emirates have two leaders. Yates is obviously one step below Pogačar but he is on form, trusted by the team management and fully protected by his teammates.
Giannetti appeared sincere as he explained UAE Team Emirates’ concerns about Pogačar’s Tour form in the aftermath of the broken wrist he suffered at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
“When you’ve got a great rider like Tadej, he’s naturally the leader but after his crash and several weeks off the bike, you can’t just turn up to the Tour and hope for the best,” the Swiss team manager explained.
“Six weeks ago we honestly weren’t sure what Tadej’s form for the Tour would be like. That’s why we had to have a possible alternative.
“Adam showed great form early in the season and has fitted in the team really well, he and Tadej have become really close in just a few months, so we asked him to step up and switch from being a key support rider to a second leader role.
“Having a second leader and protected rider like Adam is a huge advantage for us. He can play a major role in the race and in our team tactics. People can call it a psychological tactic if they want but we know he’s a great rider and that he will make a difference. He already has!”
