"If I am fit, maybe I could try" - Tadej Pogacar admits Paris-Roubaix course was easier than expected as open flirtation with potential 2025 participation continues
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar riding Paris-Roubaix in 2025 is a rumour that just refuses to go away. In truth though, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader's continued open flirtation with the 'Hell of the North' is only fanning the flames of speculation.
A recent guest on the Bartoli Time show with former tennis star Marion Bartoli for RMC, Pogacar was openly asked about his trip to the cobbles and the Arenberg Forest. "I did a reconnaissance for Paris-Roubaix. I must say that it caught my attention," the world champion admits openly, clearly having had a positive ride alongside his UAE Team Emirates - XRG teammate, Tim Wellens.
This led Bartoli to ask the big question. Reconnaissance for an appearance on the cobbles in 2025 or merely with one eye on the future? "Maybe in the near future, yes there is a big chance that I will take part. I can't say this year or the one after... This year? I can't say, no," Pogacar intriguingly answers, refusing to outright confirm or deny. "There is always a chance. We will see. Let's leave it as a surprise. I really love racing. I thought it was too hard for me but when I did the reconnaissance, I saw that I could. If I am fit, maybe I could try. I think the decision will be made after Milano-Sanremo (on March 22)," he concludes.
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Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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