"He benefits from a very tough race" - How rival teams look at Tadej Pogacar and how may they united against him in Roubaix

Paris-Roubaix is a race that historically has seen big surprises. Most recently, this happened in 2016, 10 years ago, where Matthew Hayman took the top step in what is widely regarded as one of the best races in modern cycling. Nowadays it is harder to do so with the difference in level between the top riders and the rest, but that does not mean they do not ambition to challenge the narrative.

Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel are two riders who handle the watts, the endurance, the bike handling skills and the team support, making it very difficult to see any other rider taking the win this Sunday - even in a race where crashes and mechanicals are quite usual. Last year the two were above the rest of the field, and all signs point towards the same this time around.

“Always the victory goes to Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar, or Wout van Aert in Paris-Roubaix. I honestly see no other possible scenario," Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe sports director Vanthourenhout said in words to Wielerflits. "Did you see them ride in the Tour of Flanders? If we really look at the victory, that is the only conclusion. We have to be honest about that.”

Vanthourenhout says this despite having four riders at the start who finished in the Top10 of the 2024 edition: Gianni Vermeersch, Laurence Pithie, Jordi Meeus and Tim van Dijke (who didn't officially finish in the Top10 after he was relegated, but on the road...).

Picnic PostNL manager Pim Ligthart believes that a conservative tactic and not anticipating Pogacar is actually the best antidote against him, if there is then immediate collaboration to bringing him back. "At moments like that, I think 'if the peloton can catch up again, if everyone just stays on the wheel, then it will be harder for Pogacar too'. Because he benefits from a very tough race, a real race of attrition. So I look at that differently than the team managers of the teams that were there.”

The Dutch team does not have cards to play for a top result however and so, like many other teams, they are likely to put a lot of resources into getting themselves in the day's breakaway. Roubaix has often favoured the men who attacked at the start of the race, who are then spared from the mass crashes and plenty positioning battles that take place throughout the tense classic. This always brings an added element of aggressiveness at the start of races which can put pressure on the main teams.

Lotto-Intermarché team manager Pieter Vanspeybrouck. “You have to look at those guys with admiration. And be realistic that they are unbeatable," he said. "It is phenomenal how Pogacar controls everything. It looks easy, although it won't be. At the moment, he is focusing solely on the really important races, and you notice in the race itself that the motivation and hunger are very high. Maybe that is why they are starting so early.”