Can Tadej Pogacar win Paris-Roubaix one day? "My answer is yes. Why wouldn’t he?" says Italian legend
Cycling
Francesco Moser is, amongst many things, a Grand Tour winner, former World Champion and three-time Paris-Roubaix winner... When questioned if Tadej Pogacar can also win the 'Hell of the North' one day the Italian cycling legend says yes and he believes that it could even be this year.
"I know that at the moment Paris-Roubaix is not part of the 2025 racing plans of the World Champion, but a doubt comes to me: he did a real survey, all sectors, maybe he will try this year," Moser wondered in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. The 73-year old is keen on this possibility after Pogacar did a full recon of the 2025 Paris-Roubaix route this Sunday together with teammate Tim Wellens and UAE Team Emirates - XRG DS Fabio Baldato.
It is a ride that doesn't confirm his intentions of making a debut this spring, but it is hard to come any closer to a 'yes'. Pogacar is a tremendously talented rider and he has already expressed his desire to win all five monuments. Milano-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix remain, and the current rainbow jersey has proven that even on flat cobbled races (2022 Tour de France stage 5 being the most notable case) he can outperform even the specialists in this terrain.
"But regardless of the 'when' will debut in the Northern Hell as a professional, I think that the question everyone asks is whether or not the Slovenian can win Roubaix. My answer is yes," Moser confidently states. "Why wouldn’t he? He has already raced twice in Flanders and was always the protagonist, once finishing fourth and once winning, even beating Van der Poel. Of course, it’s not the same type of race, the pavé is different, but it is also proof that Tadej can be competitive in those Monuments of the North."
It will be one of the biggest lingering questions over the coming weeks. Pogacar will make his season debut next week at the UAE Tour, where it is also expected that the team will share the news of his intentions to race the Vuelta a España. But in the meantime, there are plenty goals to tackle this spring.
Moser believes that with so many classics already on his schedule, it makes full sense to at least give Roubaix a shot, as experience is a key part of the French monument. "And if, having raced Flanders, what if he were to decide to use his form from that race and go straight onto Roubaix, perhaps sacrificing one of the Ardennes Classics? Why not?"
However the veteran believes that Milano-Sanremo, one of his prime goals this year, could be the most difficult monument for him to still win: "I think Sanremo could be the most difficult for him to conquer. He has already tried several times without succeeding because I think he mistimes his attack, on the Poggio he goes too early and not in the right place," he concluded.
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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