António Morgado: "I'm starting to like" cobbled classics Portuguese says ahead of Paris-Roubaix debut

António Morgado had quite a popular quote at the end of Le Samyn, where he admitted he did not like the cobbled classics after finishing second in the Belgian race. However throughout the spring he's performed at a level much superior to that expected, and at today's start of Paris-Roubaix he admits he's coming around.

"Excited, it's a new experience. i'm super happy with this opportunity. "It's a new experience, I'm starting to like [the cobbled classics] but maybe it's a process and I need more races," he said in words to CyclingPro.Net this morning. "I'm impressed with myself, I think some races I did well so I'm happy with my progression."

The Portuguese rider finished fifth at the Tour of Flanders, struggling with positioning but thriving in the uphill sectors where he constantly overtook riders and became the youngest rider in over 50 years to finish in the Top10 of a monument. Safe to say the 20-year old has the talent for these races, but Roubaix is a very different beast.

"I think the Flemish, it's better for me with more climbs. Here it's more like position and power of course, I like more the other races," he admits. Roubaix, for now, may not be a race for Morgado, but he will still have an important role in UAE Team Emirates' lineup. "We have Nils [Politt] the leader of the team so we're gonna try to bring him to finish."