"I believe he wants to win Paris Roubaix in the rainbow jersey" - Pogacar will race Hell of the North, American ex-pro believes
Cycling
The questions regarding Tadej Pogacar's possible Paris-Roubaix participation are never-ending, but also never responded. Whilst at this point the only thing remaining is waiting for the team's official confirmation, many continue to argue that this presence is likely, such as Tom Danielson.
"I think Pogacar will race Paris Roubaix. My guess, and it is a guess, is that he wants to fully capitalize on the commitment he has put into training for the classics," Danielson wrote in a social media post. "While it looks like he just shows up and races well at these races, months and months of training specifically has gone into this focus this season".
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It would make all sense to do so, taking into consideration he will not race any other stage-race this spring. The World Champion won the UAE Tour and decided to then fully focus on the classics. Just making a Paris-Roubaix debut could be an important decision experience-wise, even if he would not go with the ambitions of winning.
"Second, I believe he wants to win Paris Roubaix in the rainbow jersey. There is no guarantee he will have it for next season so the time to try is now," the American argues. However, after his crash at Strade Bianche, more and more doubts emerged over if he really should do it.
"As for the danger, I don’t think that is on his mind. Every race is dangerous as we saw last year in Pays Basque and this year in Paris Nice. In fact every ride is dangerous as we saw with Remco on his training ride. I would guess this is his perspective and for that a chance to win this iconic race in the rainbow jersey is worth the risk". Pogacar is now set to race the E3 Saxo Classic to open up his cobbled classics block, which thus far should end with the Tour of Flanders.
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I think Pogacar will race Paris Roubaix. My guess, and it is a guess, is that he wants to fully capitalize on the commitment he has put into training for the classics. While it looks like he just shows up and races well at these races, months and months of training specifically…
— tom danielson (@tomdanielson) March 23, 2025
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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.
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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)...
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