Pogacar not the only Slovenian threat to Van der Poel in Roubaix - Matej Mohoric eyes cobbled success inspired by Sonny Colbrelli: “The Classic closest to my heart”
Cycling
The build-up to Paris-Roubaix 2026 has been dominated by the expected duel between Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel, but the Slovenian challenge to the defending champion does not rest on one rider alone.
For Matej Mohoric, this race carries a significance that goes beyond form or results. Speaking ahead of Sunday, he explained why Roubaix continues to draw him back, saying: “Paris-Roubaix is the Classic I look forward to the most in the whole spring. It’s the most chaotic and, in my opinion, the one closest to my heart, especially since Sonny won it in 2021.”
Inspired by Colbrelli, chasing his own breakthrough
That connection to Sonny Colbrelli is central to Mohoric’s motivation. The Italian’s victory in 2021 remains a defining reference point within the Bahrain setup, and Mohoric does not shy away from setting his own targets alongside that memory, stating: “I will keep trying to reach the podium myself and hopefully fight for victory one day.”
Those ambitions are backed by his current condition and the strength around him. As he added in the same pre-race comments, “I feel my condition is at a very high level, and I hope luck will be on our side. We also have a very balanced team, with strong options like Alec, who is in great shape.”
A fifth-place finish in 2022 underlines that potential, but Roubaix has never been a race that follows a straight line from past results to future success.
A race that refuses to follow a script
That unpredictability is something Bahrain Victorious are preparing for from the outset. Sports director Michał Gołaś pointed to changes in the early sectors and the likely impact of the wind, warning that “there are four sectors back-to-back with almost no tarmac in between, followed by an additional sector with an uphill section,” before stressing how quickly the race could split if positioning is wrong.
The emphasis, he explained, is on being present when the race begins to open, adding that it will be “very important to be in the right group and to follow moves with our leaders” as the cobbles begin to take their toll.
Once the race reaches its decisive phase, the nature of Roubaix takes over. As Gołaś put it, “after that, as always in Roubaix, it becomes a race of survival,” a description that captures why the race continues to produce unexpected outcomes.
Matej Mohoric at the 2026 Tour of Flanders
More than just Pogacar vs Van der Poel
That is also why the race cannot be reduced to a simple duel at the front. Colbrelli himself has recently reflected on this year’s edition, acknowledging the strength of Mathieu van der Poel while also recognising what Tadej Pogacar brings into the race. His perspective reinforces the idea that while the favourites are clear, the race itself rarely plays out in a controlled or predictable way.
For Mohoric, that uncertainty is not something to fear, but something to use.
Waiting for Roubaix to open
Unlike the riders expected to dictate the race, Mohoric does not need to force the outcome on his own. His approach is built around reading the race as it develops and committing when the opportunity appears.
In a race shaped by chaos, that approach has often proved just as effective as outright control. And while Pogacar’s pursuit of history and Van der Poel’s dominance will define the headlines, Mohoric’s own words point to a quieter but equally determined ambition.
Paris-Roubaix is the race closest to his heart. If it opens in the way it so often does, that may be all the invitation he needs.
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.
claps 3visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- You can clearly see the the posture change from slightly sitting to again out of the saddle while changing of gears in the video of the sprintabstractengineer08-11-2026
- He has already beaten Pogi twice in the TDF. the achievement is over. He cannot beat Pogi now and he only has a few years left at the top. Win Giro and compete in the TDF, maximise palmares.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just looked again at the photo. Yeah I stand by that. If MS had fallen over in Brands direction I don’t even think she would have hit her. You must be a UCI race commissioner. I’ll be sure to check my sock height should I ever see you on a ride. Looks like everyone else on here sees what I see.mij08-11-2026
- I said looking at the photo it doesn’t appear she deviated. Chill out, not stating my word is the final judgement. Just commenting that based on the photo I don’t see it. And BTW the Dutch coach even said she didn’t impede her.mij08-11-2026
- Blah Blah Blah !frieders308-11-2026
- MS said she was changing gears so that caused her slight deviation. Nothing was intentional.frieders308-11-2026
- How can you use a photo post incident to judge the incident itself (which is not hard to find if you’re prepared to invest the same amount of time in searching as writing that comment? It’s harsh but technically right even though this or worse is not always sanctioned in every race. The two things that went against MS (who unfortunately for her would still have won without making her mistake) are that it was not a bunch sprint where there could have been an overlooked incident or mitigating circumstances explaining a deviation. Everything was focused on just those 2, Schreiber was riding beautifully balanced which made her sudden deviation look unnatural stroke as if it could have been in some part intentional whilst she was slowly drifting ever closer towards the barrier to a point that would have reached obstruction level. In her defence, it might have been the realisation she was heading towards that that made her react suddenly and caused the deviation involuntarily. In any case, congratulations to her for the ride of her life, in people’s minds she will be credited for it.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Good boy Obviously doesn’t need that much help dealing with pressure, as some have suggested. Wiser (and humbler) than many far further along their careers. About offering him the moon, recently someone came up with an explanation of the downfall of a football great (either referring to Maradona or Portuguese Ronaldo) saying it was kind of normal after coming back from the moon, except that others, including some who actually did go to the moon like Armstrong (Neil in case anyone is too switched off to realise) didn’t go through any of the same motions after coming back. A lot of how you deal with situations has less to do with the situation than with your character.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- I think that they're not really used to dealing with this type of incident in a cyclocross race, and the situation has been magnified because it was a race for a championship title. It's very unfortunate that the race had to be decided in this way.
santiagobenites07-11-2026 - Seriously why do they keep doing stupid things like this. Its one thing to relegate when the placings are minor, when the action is blatant. But when it is ambiguous, why dont they at least take advice from some higher up to avoid embarrassing themselves. This is similar to the Halland goal when his teammate was clearly offside and interfered in play and VAR gave them the goal. if you dont have evidence you cannot convict. Even for doping they have these rulesabstractengineer07-11-2026
Loading
2 Comments