"Rivals must be willing to fail spectacularly to have a real chance at winning" - Jens Voigt wants to see more from Tadej Pogacar's challengers at Liege-Bastogne-Liege

After an almost incomparable Spring of consistently high level performances, Tadej Pogacar climaxes his first block of racing in 2025 this Sunday at Liege-Bastogne-Liege. A two time winner of the Belgian Monument, Pogacar starts as the pre-race favourite again, and according to Jens Voigt, the Slovenian's rivals might need to risk it all in order to stop the world champion.

"Pogacar has the chance to finish on the podium at every major spring classic. That’s incredible - it hasn’t happened since Eddy Merckx. And he’s the favourite in every race," details the experienced German, who himself finished runner-up in Liege back in 2005, in a pre-race preview for Eurosport. "One day it’s van der Poel, Ganna, and Pedersen trying to beat him, the next it’s Evenepoel. The rivals change - he doesn’t.

That's not to say that Pogacar has been completely faultless however. As recently as last weekend at the Amstel Gold Race there were signs of fatigue as one of his trademark long-range attacks failed, and Mattias Skjelmose went home with the win. "After Roubaix, you really need a few days to recover," Voigt explains. "It’s definitely a challenge for Pogacar - this is uncharted territory for him."

"Usually he’d be doing stage races in the spring. This year, he’s gone all in on the classics. At one-day races, you’re either racing or doing easy recovery rides. It’s not a time to build form - just to maintain it," continues Voigt. "You could see a little of that fatigue at Amstel, but at Flèche Wallonne, he showed again that he can still be in top shape for the final race. So no, there’s no reason to think he’ll be off his game."

"People forget how much pressure Pogacar is under at every race. And he’s only 26 - he could be my son!" adds the 53-year-old. "He has to give interviews all the time, everyone’s watching him, the team relies on him. I wouldn’t blame him if he’s counting down the days until Liège is over."

When it comes to challengers though, it's Remco Evenepoel who seems the most likely threat. "Evenepoel, after his long injury break, had a very strong return. At Amstel, I think he was maybe a bit too confident, a little overambitious in the sprint. But these top guys - Evenepoel, Vingegaard, Pogacar - they can train so hard that they arrive in top form straight away. Vingegaard showed that at last year’s Tour," analyses Voigt. "But I’m old school—I believe there’s no substitute for racing. In training, you're protected. But without race rhythm, you lose your sense for the peloton, for timing gaps. Regaining that takes effort, and maybe that’s something we saw in Remco."

The task of stopping Pogacar is obviously not an easy one, but Voigt is convinced Evenepoel will have a plan. "If Remco learned anything from the first two Ardennes races, it’s that he has to drop Pogacar beforehand. He has to go on La Redoute, or at the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons - or catch him off guard somewhere else," predicts the German. "Pogacar is extremely hard to beat, obviously. His rivals need to be ready to risk losing the race. If a strong group gets away, UAE should be left to chase on their own. If the group makes it, great. But other teams shouldn't help bring them back."

"The goal should be to isolate Pogacar after 70 or 80 km, post multiple climbs. Rivals must be willing to fail spectacularly to have a real chance at winning. Not many dare to take that risk," he continues. "But the spring has shown us: something has to change. The decisive moments are coming earlier and earlier - it’s almost impossible to surprise someone with a late move. Pogacar tires less quickly than others and still has the best kick at the end. That’s why you can’t work with him - otherwise, you’re racing for second."

"In the end, it’s likely to come down to Pogacar vs. Evenepoel. Behind them, you have a group of strong teams and riders battling for the final podium spot. There are a lot of good riders - Ben Healy, Tom Pidcock, Thibau Nys, Giulio Ciccone, Enric Mas, Kevin Vauquelin," Voigt concludes. "You always hope for a heroic outsider’s ride - but I just don’t see anyone beating those two. In the end, it’ll probably come down to which of the top stars is better on the day. Pogacar’s form has to drop eventually, Evenepoel’s is on the rise - they’ll meet somewhere in the middle."