Pavel Sivakov's breakaway bid to pay tribute to his injured leader Tadej Pogačar at the Vuelta a España fell painfully short on stage 9, but he says he and his teammates are determined to try again.
The French allrounder was off the front for nearly all of the toughest mountain day of the race to date, but after 175 kilometres ahead of the field, Decathlon CMA CGM determined acceleration on the Aitana proved fatal to his chances.
Sivakov, Italian sprinter Alessandro Romele (XRG Astana) and Spanish national champion Marcel Camprubi had a gap of 1:20 at the foot of the final mammoth 22-kilometre climb on a large break. More importantly, they also enjoyed a 5:02 lead on the peloton.
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However, Decathlon's furious counter-charge relentlessly reeled in one attacker after another, and for all Sivakov had dropped Camprubi with 10 kilometres to do, his courageous bid to pay tribute to Pogačar just failed to pay off.
Asked by Eurosport if he and his team had found it hard to change their attitude to the race following Pogačar's abandon and switch to chasing stage wins, Sivakov answered rhetorically, "I mean - do we have the choice really?
"It's normal, we are here now to try and win some stages, and today I was really motivated to give it a go, for Tadej, for the team and also for myself."
"You work really hard all year, so when you have an opportunity like this you have to try and take it."
With his last win the overall of the Vuelta a Andalucia in 2025 and just seven wins to his name to date, the 29-year-old explained that he had done his utmost to claim what would have been a hugely emotive and symbolic victory. But he ran out of legs on a brutally challenging ascent, finishing 20th at the top behind stage winner Enric Mas (Movistar).
"I went really deep, but unfortunately the climb was just endless. I couldn't see the end. When we turned right at the end onto the smaller roads, I could see the top, but it was just unfinishing," he explained.
"The legs were pretty good. I was fighting for the victory, and actually that's not a situation I was in so often. So I was nervous about how to manage it, but in the end I put myself in a good position. I just didn't have the legs to finish it off."
Awarded the 'Most Combative Rider' prize by the organisation for his efforts, Sivakov promised that he and his teammates would do their utmost to get a win for themselves - and for Pogačar.
"Of course, there are many other opportunities," he told Eurosport. "It's only the first week now, and there are many other days to give it a go. We'll keep trying with all of the team."
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