Tadej Pogacar removed from E3 startlist as route towards Paris-Roubaix becomes more clear
Cycling
It is becoming more and more likely that Tadej Pogacar will indeed make his Paris-Roubaix debut in 2025. The latest development in the saga of the world champion and the cobbles has seen the UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader removed from the preliminary startlist for the 2025 E3 Saxo Classic.
It had been expected that Pogacar would do battle with Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel among others on March 28th. With the preliminary startlist for the Belgian classic coming to light though, the Slovenian is notable by his absence from the UAE Team Emirates - XRG lineup of Filippo Baroncini, Mikkel Bjerg, Rune Herregodts, Jhonatan Narvaez, Nils Politt and Tim Wellens. Although it must be noted that their is still a name missing from the seven-man lineup of UAE, according to the latest reports that won't be Tadej Pogacar.
“We will have to wait and see what the removal of Pogacar’s name from the provisional list of participants actually means,” the E3 Saxo Classic's organizer Jacques Coussens said of the situation in conversation with HLN. “But we are very happy that all the other top riders, such as Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel, will definitely be at the start.”
As mentioned, with Pogacar's debut on the iconic French cobbles of Paris-Roubaix, it is a long-running story in the cycling world throughout 2025 so far. It is now expected that Pogacar will compete at the Tour of Flanders, having not raced competitively on the surface since 2023. Another fact worth noting, is that Pogacar is now likely to become the first reigning Tour de France champion to do battle at Paris-Roubaix since Greg LeMond more than three decades ago in 1991, showing the incredible rarity of what could be about to happen in the coming weeks and months.
Pogacar is not only likely heading to #ParisRoubaix at this point, but he'll also race the RVV, with his last cobbled race being the 2023 RVV. No prep.
— La Flamme Rouge (@laflammerouge16) March 25, 2025
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- Great picture, so alike and yet so different, Mads has the physique of a weekend amateur in comparison. You have to wonder how much better he could still be. I know it’s difficult not to be taken in by MVDP’s performances but it feels like reporting loses some of its purpose as a result, compared to other teams, we hardly hear about the Alpecin in-race work or riders.Mistermaumau30-03-2025
- agreed. flanders is a beast. i like tadej, but i’m full on rooting for mathieu next sunday.OCexile29-03-2025
- Indeed, strong as ever on the flat, maybe stronger on climbs. There are very few records within reach for contemporary riders (Cabendish had to extend his career to get his and took twice as long as Merckx to equality), this would be one that would be very hard to take away.Mistermaumau29-03-2025
- I thought newspeak was condensing any statement into the smallest number of pertinent words.Mistermaumau29-03-2025
- flanders is mvdp’s favorite race and he’s one win away from being the lone record holder with 4 wins. i’d be very surprised if the gap that pogačar opened in him there 2 years ago wasn’t THE major focus of all his training. and when mathieu has a goal, he turns himself inside out to achieve it. we’ll see next week if he got there, but i’d agree with van avermat’s assessment of van der poel’s fitness.OCexile29-03-2025
- It’s almost like newspeak. It’s classics season, Pogacar’s main rival has always been van der Poel. Then grand tour season will begin, and we will pivot mid sentence and Pogacar’s main rival will have always been Vingegaard. What a season this promises to be. Let’s hope they stay healthy (and Vingegaard gets past the concussion).RidesHills29-03-2025
- Great that he’s decided to do Flanders though his weight remark is irrelevant, Mads is proportionately heavier and MVDP has the same weight but is around 10cm shorter.Mistermaumau29-03-2025
- Yeah, looks slow up there.Jumpyjohn28-03-2025
- lol His aim was well off! MVP was well past him before the guy decided to spit.Cyclingsbestfan28-03-2025
- But you know that’s what makes this website live ;-)Mistermaumau28-03-2025