António Morgado continues to have impressive spring, yet "it'll be tough to beat Mathieu, but that's a problem everyone has"

It was not so long ago when we heard from the Portuguese talent António Morgado that he doesn't like cobbled races and his aim remains Grand Tour victory. Now, couple months and handful great results down the road, it does appear that the fifth man of Tour of Flanders may have changed his mind as he prepares for a start at his first Paris-Roubaix.

"I didn't think it was possible this year. Now I have that motivation. I'm starting to enjoy these races, not that I didn't, but it's a new challenge," he admits to OJogo after successful Tour of Flanders.

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UAE Team Emirates masterplan fires Juan Ayuso to overall victory at Itzulia Basque Country as Carlos Rodriguez takes final stage win

Around this time year ago, Sjoerd Bax rode to an impressive 13th place in France after a day in the breakaway. In 2023, Bax did a full classics schedule. However Bax is not part of the UAE Team Emirates lineup this spring as he's still dealing with consequences of an injury from Il Lombardia. How does he see the performances of his teammates on cobbles?

"With Nils Politt, they've really added a strong rider. Tim Wellens benefits from that too. We may not be Visma | Lease a Bike or Lidl-Trek, but we're close behind. It'll be tough to beat Mathieu, but that's a problem everyone has," adds Bax in an interview with IDLProCycling.

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PREVIEW | Paris-Roubaix 2024 - Can Mathieu van der Poel win Flanders and Roubaix in the same season?

Pedal Punditry #3 | Tour de France changes in a split second as Vingegaard, Roglic and Evenepoel suffer injuries; Paris-Roubaix's "chicane-gate" and Nairo Quintana's tough decision