French pundit on Tadej Pogacar's Paris-Roubaix debut: "At the 2022 Tour de France, he put on a real show on the cobbled sections"

Paris-Roubaix is set to have not only the top classics specialists in the world this year but also the presence of the world's best in Tadej Pogacar who will be making his debut. The rainbow jersey is a good fit with the 'Hell of the North' according to Cyrille Guimard who argued that the decision to race Roubaix had already been in place for a long time.

"It's no surprise. This winter, he was training on the cobblestones; it wasn't just to go string beads while watching Paris-Roubaix on TV. I think the PR is well done since everyone is falling for it. I think the synopsis was written a while ago, and it's perfectly logical that a rider like Pogacar, who has real ability on the cobblestones, would be there," Guimard said in words to Cyclism'Actu.

"At the 2022 Tour de France, he put on a real show on the cobbled sections, even if it didn't translate into big gaps at the finish, but he still scattered everyone. On the Strade Bianche, which is similar to cyclocross and Paris-Roubaix, you still need to have bike handling skills a little above average, and he has them," the Frenchman argues. "He's done cyclocross, he's done mountain biking... in fact, just look at the descents or all the corners; he's never off-track, so Paris-Roubaix fits logically into his calendar. So you could always say there are some concerns... But for me, it's not a surprise; it's completely logical".

Pogacar has won the Tour of Flanders in the past, and this next weekend he will be the main favourite together with defending champion Mathieu van der Poel. However in France, he won't have the climbs to his advantage, and it is a race that often is much more tactical than Flanders where he has the ability to destroy the peloton with one attack.

"At Paris-Roubaix, it's always difficult to predict how the race will unfold, since so many things happen from the moment you get close to the cobblestones, and even more so when you're on them. There are punctures, there are crashes, and repairs don't happen... In short, there are so many things that change strategies. So, you always have to be able to change your strategy, and sometimes even your leader". However UAE will not put too much pressure on the Slovenian, and with the likes of Nils Politt and Florian Vermeersch present, there are several cards to chase a top result.

Guimard believes that as has been the case recently, Pogacar will likely decide to attack Roubaix early so as to avoid then being outplayed by other teams. "Mads Pedersen, he has been bitten by the virus, since in Gent-Wevelgem, he went out more than an hour from the finish... So, who says that the man who will win this year will not simply go out in the Trouée d'Arenberg?"