"I have respect, but I'm not a fan" - Marc Madiot shares his feelings on Tadej Pogacar

In the world of cycling there are many traditional faces and a lot of modern teams and aspects. When it comes to this, the long-standing manager of Groupama - FDJ Marc Madiot and World Champion Tadej Pogacar are on complete outside sides of the spectrum, but the Frenchman does have respect for the UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider.

"So, on paper, we have all the ingredients for a legendary race, one that will go down in history, but that's on paper," Madiot said to Cyclism'Actu ahead of Paris-Roubaix. "And you have to be wary of paper; it can sometimes end up in a mess, as they say, you never know. So, there are all the ingredients, there are exceptional riders at the start, which means that we should normally have a great vintage, but just because we have all the ingredients doesn't necessarily mean we'll have a great vintage".

Tadej Pogacar, Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Mads Pedersen, Filippo Ganna and several more take to the start of the Hell of the North in peak form and it truly provides the necessary excitement ahead of the monument. "So, there are the ingredients for it to be something exceptional, but it's the riders who will write history, and let's let them write history, that's all".

Groupama itself will have Stefan Küng as a very strong outsider and podium contender, but fighting for victory will be hard, specially seeing the form in which Pogacar and van der Poel specifically have been dominating the spring classics. "No, I think there's a particular excitement about this race, but it doesn't stop at Pogacar-Van der Poel; there are riders who are very close. I find there's an added excitement with Pogacar's presence, who comes to have fun, which I find rather reassuring about the mindset some riders may have".

"It's no longer about calculation, it's about desire and pleasure. I'm not a total Pogacar supporter, but I find his approach and determination towards Paris-Roubaix to be healthy and interesting," he admits. "It puts the person and the rider's mindset back at the center of the equation, and that's a good thing". Madiot has mixed feelings on the Slovenian, but regarding his presence at the start in Compiègne this morning, he can only praise the leader of UAE.

"I have respect, but I'm not a fan. It's like singers; I'm more of a Rolling Stones fan than a Beatles fan, but it's very personal, that's just the way it is. I think his approach to Roubaix or Flanders shows and demonstrates that he's not just focusing on the Tour de France," Madiot continues. "Whereas the team's sponsors and managers would naturally and logically tend to focus on major events like the Tour, he says, 'I'm sorry, but I'm the one riding, and I want to see what Roubaix or Flanders can do. If you're not happy, it's the same, and I think that's pretty good'."

However Madiot knows that with his addition, it becomes more and more hard to win the northern classic. However, in his way of seeing it, this is what's most important in search of victory: "If you want to win, you must be focused, have a cool head, and be constantly on the alert regarding the protection of your bike, because the most determining element, we never talk about it, is still to look after your bike".

"If you are the best rider in the world and you don't take care of your bike, you are out of the race, even if your name is Pogacar or Van Der Poel, if you don't pay attention to what you are doing, you can lose everything".