11-05-2025
I don't judge Tadej Pogacar but him with Mauro Gianetti makes me wince
You see him at the end of Tadej Pogacar's races, a thin-as-a-whippet figure hugging the winner and then seeking out his team-mates to thank them too. Mauro Gianetti is 61 and still looks as much a bike rider as he did during his 17-season career. After retiring in 2002, he began organising and managing teams. He is now the most influential and successful team boss in world cycling.
So why do I wince every time he embraces the champion? As the chief executive and principal of UAE Team Emirates, Gianetti is entitled to share in the celebrations. The team he has built, with considerable support from an oil-rich country, dominates the sport to an almost unprecedented degree. Gianetti, however, is a man with a past.
