Tadej Pogacar is aiming high in 2025 and the biggest goal of his spring will be Milano-Sanremo. A winner of three monuments already, the UAE Team Emirates rider has been seeking the Italian race over the past two seasons where he came close to winning but hasn't managed to do so. Sean Kelly, former pro, commentator and pundit, believes that it is actually more likely that the World Champion will win Paris-Roubaix.
An interesting opinion, differing from the majority, who argue that Roubaix is a totally different beast - a race that features many risks and where the heavyweight riders with a lot of experience can have the upper hand over the Slovenian. A Sanremo win has not been far from Pogacar's palmarès, but it's a race where he will always be heavily marked and where it's hard to make the difference as a climber.
“It’s possible, but it’s going to be tough. It’s going to be tough to get rid of everyone on the Cipressa or Poggio. Roubaix is also tough, if he wants to win the five Monuments, but I can see him winning Roubaix before Milano-Sanremo," Kelly said in an interview with Daniel Benson. "Just look at the amount of riders coming over the Poggio. It’s going to be so tough for him to make a difference on the Poggio. And where else can he do it? I think this is the toughest race for him.”
Whilst Pogacar will certainly not race Paris-Roubaix this spring, he will aim to peak for Sanremo. The risks involved with Roubaix are very big for a rider who usually has goals in the Ardennes but also later in the summer at the Grand Tours, and an injury could risk major goals. Although he has shown the talent in the cobbles and classics - including flat ones - we don't know when he will make his debut in 'The Hell of the North'.
Sanremo is a certainty unless he is unfit in the spring, but Kelly believes that “the terrain there isn’t right for that. Unless it’s a really bad day, with wet and cold conditions, and everyone arrives empty at the Poggio, I don’t think it’s the terrain where he can do it. Or he has to show something magical again.” In 2023 and 2024 Pogacar has attacked the Poggio, but has either been matched or dropped by Mathieu van der Poel.
It's a classic where everything has to fit in the right place and UAE will likely put more emphasis in this race with their lineup, outlining a specific strategy to improve his chances as much as possible. “Winning the Tour of Flanders is one thing, but Paris-Roubaix is a step higher. But I think he is capable of it," he concluded.
Read also
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Ernesto Maggioni - The president of the commissaires Mafia. It is getting evident that this guy is basically "Iamalwaysrightandyouarestupidsoiwontlistentoyou" kind of guy. So fire him so that he can be always right in his homeabstractengineer10-11-2026
- Somehow it has got into his mind that he is a GC rider. He is primarily a classics and stage rider who can perform on GC given his day. As a result he is wasting his time on TDF GC and once committed to GC you are too tired to do anything else.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- 🐐❤️Lozza09-11-2026
- This is such a black eye to women's professional cyclocross if this result remains. Marie Schreiber won this race fairly. This finish is not unlike others in cyclocross. Lots of moving around to get to the finish not to cut anyone off , but to generate a sprint on soft wide tires caked with mud and sand. This is not nearly the same as a road race between two riders sprinting to the finish on faster bikes and thinner firmer tires. The powers in charge need to use some common sense, reverse this result and remember this is Cyclocross not Road racing. Unbelievable. . .Zencycle09-11-2026
- Tis beyond your comprehension fine sir so best not to look on with blind eyes to THE GOATS greatness.
Brucegel09-11-2026 - McNulty winning was beneficial in ensuring the rainbow jersey would not remain winless
Front24209-11-2026 - Eccelente! That's 7 riders in total in Red Bull who come from the devo team, 8 if you include Lipo
Rafionain-Glas09-11-2026 - again, nothing is going to be resolved. it is a discussion board. I simply said I didn't see how MS impeded LBs sprint. the UCI doesn't care about my thoughts, and I am really not that emotionally invested in it.mij09-11-2026
- provoke change, lol. this is a discussion board. nothing is going to change by what I say here. just commenting that it didn't look like MS impeded Brand. beyond that not trying to go too deep.mij09-11-2026
- as excellent as maga rednecks chloe dygert (and quinn simmons)?Ketterechts09-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment