Tadej Pogacar recons Tour de France cobbled stage, hints at future Roubaix participation

Tadej Pogacar was in France yesterday riding some cobbled sectors that he will be facing later this summer, just as Jumbo-Visma and INEOS Grenadiers have done in the last few weeks before the GP de Denain. He's sparked however a lot of attention on social media after an enigmatic post.

"After yesterday, I realize that Paris-Roubaix and Milan-Sanremo are the most difficult monuments for me to win," Pogacar told VRT who kept up with the Slovenian on his training ride in northern France. Together with UAE Team Emirates DS and former road captain Marco Marcato, Pogacar rode 80 kilometers which included the final section of the Tour de France's fifth stage.

“My legs still hurt a bit from yesterday [Sunday]. I didn't ride too fast during the recon. Yesterday was one of the best days on a bike for me, it gives me confidence for the Tour [des Flandres] and for the years to come," he added.

Less than 24 hours after riding the mythical bergs of Flandres for over six and a half hours, Pogacar set off south into France to ride a different set of cobblestones: “It is more difficult than the Tour of Flanders. It is mostly flat here, which is different from yesterday. It will in any case be a hectic stage, especially because that stage will be held in the Tour. I'm actually looking forward to that stage. It can go terribly wrong or it can go well. You can't win the Tour here, but you can lose."

He's shared a picture on social media which has set much of the cycling community on a burst of excitement. On the cobbles of the Trouée d'Arenberg, Pogacar launched the questions over his much-antecipated debut at Paris-Roubaix, however he stressed that the time has not yet come: “I will be there at some point. Maybe not next year, that's too early."