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It seems it isn’t simply Luke Rowe who’s slightly miffed at being ignored of the Ineos Grenadiers line-up for the upcoming Vuelta a España, which will get underway on Saturday with a crew time trial across the streets of Barcelona.
Speaking to L’Équipe after ending 56th in yesterday’s tremendous brief 2.3km prologue TT on the Tour of Germany, Rowe’s teammate Pavel Sivakov mentioned that lacking out on the Spanish grand tour was a “huge blow”, particularly after spending nearly two months at altitude this summer time making ready for the race, together with an extra 4 weeks coaching and racing with what he assumed was the Vuelta squad.
The 26-year-old introduced firstly of the month that, after six years with the British squad, he might be leaving to hitch UAE Staff Emirates for 2024, one of a number of big-name riders heading out the Ineos exit door this winter, together with Tao Geoghegan Hart, Ben Tulett, and Dani Martinez, whereas the way forward for promising Spaniard Carlos Rodríguez hangs within the stability.
In the meantime, rumours proceed to persist regarding a merger between the crew and Soudal-Fast Step, a momentous transfer that, if true, would see Remco Evenepoel spearhead the brand new squad’s GC problem on the grand excursions, and assist revitalise an outfit that has been in transition mode for a couple of seasons now after the heady successes of the 2010s.
(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
It’s maybe truthful to say that, regardless of GC wins on the Tour of Poland, Tour of the Alps, and the Vuelta a Burgos, the departing Sivakov hasn’t fairly lived as much as the admittedly lofty expectations positioned upon him since turning professional with the then-Staff Sky in 2019.
And this month’s Vuelta snub has solely underlined, in his eyes, his standing as only a “pawn” within the Ineos sport.
“We’ll say that I had a giant blow final week,” he instructed L’Équipe yesterday. “I used to be instructed that I used to be not going to do the Vuelta, it was actually troublesome. I spent a month and a half at altitude this summer time and three weeks with the Vuelta squad. We then all went collectively to the Tour of Poland. It went effectively, very effectively certainly.
“Afterwards, I went straight again to altitude to arrange this Vuelta. I feel I used to be in the very best situation of my season, in my view I used to be even higher than earlier than the Giro, after which there you go…
“I acquired a telephone name telling me it wasn’t going to occur. It was difficult. I’ve been on the crew for six years, everybody is aware of I am leaving, however that’s biking.
“We’re simply numbers, pawns. That’s sort of how I see it. It makes us realise that the ‘administration’ typically has to make troublesome selections. I used to be shot on the time, however I’ve since pulled myself collectively. I need to make the most of all of the work that has been accomplished this summer time by making an attempt to do one thing by the top of the season.”
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