Pavel Sivakov looking to end season on a high with Vuelta a España selection

Pavel Sivakov (Ineos Grenadiers) has been nothing but consistent in 2023 with a string of top-ten performances throughout the season. But for a bout of COVID that ended his Giro d’Italia hopes in May, the Frenchman has finished inside the top-ten at every stage race he’s started since the turn of the year.

With the second half of the campaign about to kick-off the 26-year-old talked to GCN about his form, his race programme for the coming months and the aim of supporting Geraint Thomas at the Vuelta a España later this summer.

GCN: How is the training going ahead of a big block of racing?

Pavel Sivakov: It’s going pretty well. After a training camp I’ve had one day at home and then it’s straight to Poland. I was really sick after the Giro d’Italia. That was the real reason that I pulled out. The crash was less of an issue but I had COVID, and then I had 12 days completely off the bike because I had five days with a high fever. I was pretty bad to be fair but then I did a good block of training before the Tour of Austria at the start of July. That race went well and then I spent two weeks at altitude with the team. If everything goes well in Poland then I should head to the Vuelte a España. Fingers crossed for that one because I am on the list. I’ll do everything that I can to be selected.

GCN: So no Tour of Burgos for you this year? That’s a race you won in 2022.

Pavel Sivakov: Not this year. The core group for the Vuelta will go to Poland because that gives us a bit more time to get ready. There’s a TT in Poland too, so the team has decided to do that instead.

GCN: It’s a good team for Poland with yourself, Kwiatkowski, Thomas, Arnesman, De Plus and others.

Pavel Sivakov: It’s a really strong group and we’re going to go there and try and win. The course is really punchy and the speciality, with this  team that’s selected, is the longer and harder days. Even though it’s a race that I’ve won in the past, this year it’s even more punchy, with lots of small and technical roads. With strength in numbers though we’ll try something and try to play on that.

GCN: What are you personally hoping to get out of this second half of the season?

Pavel Sivakov: I want to finish the season really well. I’ve been quite consistent this year but unfortunately I’ve had to abandon the last two Grand Tours that I’ve started due to COVID. That’s not ideal but I want a clear run so that I can get the best out of myself. It’s always good to finish on a good note because it means you head into the off-season in a good place both physically and mentally. I’d like to obviously get a win by the end of the season.

GCN: COVID aside, you’ve been consistent this year. You’ve had top-ten results in every stage race that you’ve started, apart from the Giro.

Pavel Sivakov: That’s true and I agree. I think that showed good consistency because all the races are super hard. Even in Austria the watts we were pushing were great numbers. Obviously it’s not WorldTour racing but there were still some really good guys there. I think that I’ve found a good balance between training, nutrition and having a stable weight. Hopefully I can stay out of that COVID trouble and sickness so that I can have a clear run.

GCN: When it comes to the Vuelta, is it mostly about supporting Geraint Thomas?

Pavel Sivakov: We know that Geraint is a master when it comes to preparing for the big events. If you look at the Giro this year, he was already in good shape at the Tour of the Alps but then when it mattered at the Giro he made another step up. He’s a big leader and we’re going to back him up at the Vuelta. It’s going to be a really tough race, having looked at the outline of the race. There are around 13 GC days in total, so it’s going to be about being up there from day one with the TTT. Geraint is a guy who recovers really well, so he’s going to be up there.

GCN: I can’t help but ask, especially as we’re coming to the end of the season. Are we also coming to the end of your time with Ineos Grenadiers? You’ve been linked with a number of teams, including AG2R and most recently UAE Team Emirates?

Pavel Sivakov: At the moment I don’t want to comment in the media. Everyone will find out quite soon what happens in my future quite soon. At the moment no comment though.

GCN: That’s totally understandable. Is there anything other than Poland and the Vuelta on the horizon for you?

Pavel Sivakov: The races come quickly but I’ll try and have another altitude camp near my home in Andorra. It’s a bit of a home start for me at the Vuelta because Barcelona is almost home. That will be really nice, if I’m selected. After the Vuelta, that’s far away but I’d really like to finish with a block of Italian one-day racing. Lombardi is a race that I really like. It’s a beautiful race.