"I would be very surprised if he were to outride the rest" - Tadej Pogacar 30kg lighter than former Paris-Roubaix King
Cycling
Last week, Tadej Pogacar conquered the Tour of Flanders in
breathtaking fashion, outclimbing and outlasting the best in the world. This
weekend, the reigning World Champion sets his sights on an even more brutal
challenge, his debut at Paris–Roubaix.
The question on everyone’s mind: can he beat Mathieu van der
Poel on the cobbles twice in one week?
It’s a cobbled double last achieved just a year ago. In
2024, Van der Poel stormed to back-to-back victories in the rainbow jersey,
winning both the Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris–Roubaix in emphaticstyle. Now,
Pogacar looks to emulate that historic double in 2025.
Not everyone is convinced the Slovenian can pull it off, but
few doubt his talent. Former Roubaix winner Magnus Backstedt, who triumphed in
2004, believes the race has changed in ways that suit riders like Pogacar.
"In the past, there was the idea that Roubaix played
into the hands of heavier riders, but recently we see more light riders doing
well. With today's tires and wheels it should be possible," he told Het
Nieuwsblad.
Backstedt himself weighed a hefty 95kg when he won the race,
Pogacar, by comparison, tips the scales at just 66kg. But he’s not the only
lightweight who believes in the Slovenian’s chances.
Servais Knaven, the 2001 Paris–Roubaix champion, pointed
out: "I weighed 68 or 69 kilos at the time. That's not much different from
Pogacar. So it's simple: he should be able to do it too," he told HLN.
Still, Knaven added a note of caution about what it would
take for Pogacar to defeat cobbled beasts like Van der Poel, Wout van Aert, and
Mads Pedersen on flatter terrain.
“Pogacar is so all-round, he can do everything. But: I would
be very surprised if he were to outride the rest — Van der Poel, Van Aert,
Pedersen — on a flat cobblestone strip. Then he really has to deliver a lot
more power to do that. And I don't know if he can do that. Being on the wheel
on the cobblestones is definitely an advantage. But he has surprised us enough,
maybe he can do that too.”
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
claps 12visitors 11
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
Loading
4 Comments