"I would not be reassured if I were Van der Poel and Van Aert" - Would Tadej Pogacar be the favourite at Paris-Roubaix?
Cycling
Is Tadej Pogacar heading to Paris-Roubaix or not? It remains
one of the two Monuments he has yet to win, alongside Milano-Sanremo, which he
will attempt to conquer next month.
Mathieu van der Poel has dominated Paris-Roubaix in recent
years, winning the last two editions in record time. However, Pogacar has
already proven his ability to triumph on cobbled terrain, having beaten Mathieu van der
Poel to victory at the Tour of Flanders in 2023.
Thijs Zonneveld, speaking on the podcast In het Wiel,
highlighted the weight difference between Pogacar and traditional Paris-Roubaix
contenders. "How much does he differ in weight from the guys who are
favorites, like Mads Pedersen, Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel and Stefan
Küng? Ten kilograms with Van der Poel and even more with the rest."
Despite this, Zonneveld believes Pogacar's strengths could
still make him a favourite. "He is handy, can position himself well and if
it is a long and tough race, that is also fine for him. And for a light rider,
he also has a very high absolute power."
There are strong hints that Pogacar might be targeting the
race. "I would not be reassured if I were Van der Poel and Van Aert. I
would not give him ten metres. Van der Poel was still reasonably hypothermic,
but others less so. A Philipsen already said: 'Why would you go reconnaissance
in Het Bos if you do not plan to participate?' A good point."
The speculation continues, with Zonneveld adding, "At
first I thought it wouldn't be before this year, but when I saw the
reconnaissance and the reaction of his team in the second instance... Pogacar
gave an evasive answer before the UAE Tour when he was asked about
Paris-Roubaix. It wasn't a hard no."
Ultimately, Pogacar may be playing mind games. "For me
it's half the point, or maybe the whole point. He's also trying to drive
everyone crazy, and he's doing a pretty good job of it. I'm sure it was
discussed at dinner tables all over Europe and beyond. Would he participate?
Could he actually win?"
The psychological warfare is already underway. "He's
already engaged in psychological warfare. You don't come to that part of France
for fun and if you're going to ride 165 kilometres in drizzly weather on
cobblestones, then that's with an idea."
Will Pogacar start as the favourite, if he is indeed heading to Roubaix? Or could Van der Poel still pull off the hat trick?
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.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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