"I would be very surprised if he were to outride the rest" - Tadej Pogacar 30kg lighter than former Paris-Roubaix King

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.”