“Tadej Pogačar deserves everything” – Interview with Rui Oliveira in the Giro d’Italia
The Portuguese cyclist about the road to the Giro d’Italia, the first week balance, the next objectives, and if he would switch with his brother Ivo at times.
Rui Oliveira, 27-year-old rider from UAE Team Emirates, is the only Portuguese rider in the 2024 Giro d’Italia. He currently is 136th place in the general classification, but that “doesn’t matter at all” when the team’s main objective is being fulfilled: Tadej Pogačar in the pink jersey. So far, there were three victories for the Slovenian, and nine days in which the Portuguese has not stopped working, whether at the front of the peloton or lauching the sprint. It was a long and arduous road to Italy for Oliveira, from his injury in February to his preparation in Colombia, and now he is enjoying every moment of the success to which he has contributed so much.
We took advantage of the Giro’s rest day to talk to Rui Oliveira, about the first week of this race, and also a little about what lurks on the horizon, with a touch of humor at the end. To all this, he responded in the good mood that characterizes him.
Versão Portuguesa: “O Tadej Pogačar merece tudo” – Entrevista com Rui Oliveira no Giro d’Italia
After an excellent start to the season in the Algarve, you were injured at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. How did you feel about having to stop and recover, when you were doing so well?
Volta ao Algarve was a very motivating race for me, where I confirmed my good form after the Saudi Tour. I was preparing for the classics, which were my main objective in the first part [of the season], and of course that’s always bad, knowing that I had a fracture, and it would take some time to recover. It was disappointing, but I also knew that maybe I could have time to recover for the Giro, and doing all the check-ups at the hospital and the plan with the medical team, we were able to understand that there was time to prepare for the Giro. So, two days after the crash, I was already on the trainer, we already had a strategy outlined to be able to compete again, that was always my main motivation for being at the Giro, because it’s not the same thing as going to a one-day or one-week race; practically not racing since February and racing a grand tour has its disadvantages, but after the crash I tried to reset everything, start all over again, with the goal of the Giro.
While the classics were taking place and you were recovering in Andorra, it appears that you were quite bored. Did that feeling encourage you to go to Colombia?
The main thing about cycling is racing: spending three weeks training on the trainer, without being able to leave the house to train on the road, it becomes a bit boring, but I never stopped thinking about my main objective, being here [at the Giro]. Going to Colombia didn’t have to do with that [being bored], it had more to do with an altitude camp, which has its known benefits, and also being with [Juan Sebastián] Molano, trying to do some training simulations that are now being useful.
Photo: Fizza/UAE Team Emirates
Obviously, Tadej Pogačar has been extraordinary this Giro d’Italia. Did you expect things to be going so well, with a big lead in the first week?
Cycling is obviously not easy. Even though we have the best riderin the world, things are not that easy. Behind these 2 minutes and 40 seconds of advantage, we have been through a lot in 9 days. You need to be very lucky, but obviously we also seek that luck, we seek to stay out of danger, and I think that, as a team, we have done an extraordinary job. We know that the main objective is the Giro d’Italia – we also have secondary objectives with Molano and, when possible, we try to focus on that – we know that the main objective is Tadej, and we know that he is in very good shape, we know that he could win on the days he won, especially on the second day [Stage 2]. We have always believed in him and he gives us comfort, because being such a strong rider and being in such good physical shape, being able to gain time over the right opponents is a relief.
I think these 2 minutes and 40 seconds are a good advantage, but they don’t mean anything. All it takes is one bad day, one crash, one puncture at a bad time, anything can happen… 2, 3, 4, 5 minutes, we need to pay attention every day. That’s why we’re going with our feet on the ground and taking it easy, because there are still two weeks to go.
On the second day, while Pogačar won and wore the pink jersey, you and Molano arrived in the last places of the stage. How do mountain stages work for you?
On that day, in particular, INEOS Grenadiers started to take [time], because there was a breakaway that had a dangerous advantage for them, and they practically took over the race, in a way of honoring Narváez’s victory, because otherwise it would have been us since the beginning. I entered around 100 kilometers, taking it with INEOS to reduce time, and that’s my main job: trying to help in the initial part, trying to ensure that the breakaway doesn’t get out of control and gain a lot of time, as far as I can try to put our main riders at the front, without wasting too much energy. Afterwards, we [Molano and I] try to save as much energy as we can, and the fact that we finished penultimate and last doesn’t mean anything, we could have arrived with the grupetto.
We control the time limit every day; If there are days when instead of getting to 20 [minutes] we can get to 30 and go slower, we do that, because it’s a way of saving energy. Every day in three weeks, we will save a little energy when we can, because there are days when we will be very close to the time limite and we will have to push ourselves to the limit to make that goal. Therefore, if there are days when we can fall behind and ‘turn off our legs’, we will do so, because finishing last or being last in the general classification doesn’t matter at all; We only have one main objective, which is [overall] victory, and that’s what we focus on.
So far, Molano has achieved 3rd place in yesterday’s stage, but no other top 10 finishes. What do you think about this first week of sprints?
We knew it was going to be crazy here, there are practically 15 teams that brought renowned sprinters to fight for stages – I think the only ones missing are Jasper [Philipsen] and Groenewegen. Seeing that, we knew it was going to be a big fight, like it was in the first few days. On the first day [Stage 3], I was close to doing a good job: I managed to stay with Molano in the last kilometer, but due to a touch from another rider my chain broke and I was no longer able to do the leadout. On another day, the breakaway went [Stage 5], and on another day, Molano had a crash in the middle of the stage and was unable to fight for it [Stage 4]. Yesterday [Stage 9] was not a pure stage for sprinters, it was a very tough stage in the end. We managed to hold on and Molano managed to finish 3rd, he was already at his limit, but he showed that he is getting in shape, and I am also getting in shape – I still need competitive rhythm, because I haven’t raced for more than 2 months, I still need this rhythm in the sprint finishes – and we are increasingly confident. Molano is close to victory and we have 2 stages this week in which we are able to fight for victory. We know we trust him, we know there are other very good sprinters, but we’re not throwing in the towel, we’ve already proven several times that we can win, and that’s what we’re going to fight for.
Molano’s 3rd place had a surprising leadout-man in Pogačar. How does it feel, for the team, to know that the Maglia Rosa is also willing to play that role?
He is a champion, in every way! He has no obligation to do anything in the end, he just has to follow the main group, not waste time and save energy, but he is truly a champion. Even yesterday, he was motivating us [Molano and I] on the last climbs over the radio, because we were both suffering a lot. I think that was the key for us to be able to overcome the climbs, and after the climbs, he immediately told us that he was going to leadout the sprint, and I didn’t have the legs to help much, I just placed Molano in the last 20 kilometers and until the last kilometer, but to make the real leadout I was at the limit and Tadej made an excellent leadout, he managed to catch Narváez. I think top 3 was the best we could do, given the conditions we had yesterday, and having Tadej is simply gratifying, I am left speechless, because he is not expected to do that, and he does it anyway. The only thing we can do for him is, in the other stages, give 200% for him, because honestly he deserves everything.
Photo: Peter Klauzner/EPA
Outside of the Giro, you are pre-selected for the Olympic Games, both on the track and on the road. Do you believe that your versatility increases your chances of racing in Paris?
Being selected for both, my goal is to go to both. I think it would be important, realizing that, having the possibility of guaranteeing medals with several racers on the track, we can manage this situation in the road, because that way we would be able to take more athletes, but still, my main objective is to be in both – there is not one I want to do more than the other – and be at the Olympic Games. That’s what I expressed, now of course it’s up to the national coaches [José Poeira and Gabriel Mendes] to decide.
Finally, the news came out today that a Portuguese footballer is under investigation for having his twin brother play in his place. Have you ever thought, in your moments of greatest suffering, about exchanging with Ivo?
Actually, I never thought about it (laughs). Sometimes I am suffering and I don’t want to be there, but it’s not my brother who I think about, because I don’t want him to be there suffering either. First, I would definitely choose someone I don’t like that much (laughs)… sometimes it’s so hard that I have these thoughts, and obviously I’m not going to choose someone I like to be in my place then.
We would like to thank Rui Oliveira and UAE Team Emirates for their availability to give us this interview and we wish them good luck in the upcoming challenges!
Cover photo: Sprint Cycling Agency
No Comment