"Technically he was still missing something" - Former Paris-Roubaix winner points out difference between Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar

Paris-Roubaix is taking place already within two months and there we expect to see another battle between Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel. Whilst at the Tour of Flanders no-one is expected to be at a similar level, the 'Hell of the North' provides a more open race typically, although last year the world's best two classics riders had their own battle with van der Poel coming out on top. 1999 winner Andrea Tafi shares his insight on the duel between the two.

“In Roubaix, the fight could come down to a duel between Pogacar and Van der Poel. Pogacar has shown his outstanding qualities—even in a Classic that’s so far from his usual style," Tafi said in an interview with Bici.Pro. "Or from what we expected of him. But I think it’s too early to say he can win this race already this year. Pogacar can certainly threaten Van der Poel, but there are many external factors you have to take into account.”

In his debut last year, the World Champion immediately hit the front and made it clear that his lack of experience in the race in no way prevented him from being a factor in it. Pure quality and endurance saw him in the front very early on, and it became a one-on-one race against van der Poel quickly as well, removing any tactical aspect from a race that is usually marked by it.

Instead, it was all about who was best in that specific terrain, something in which van der Poel had the upper hand. “The difference between the two was mainly technical: being a cyclocross athlete, like Van der Poel, can give you a huge advantage. Taking corners, handling certain types of cobbles, even pedaling over rough stones—being completely at home on the bike is incredibly important. Even the crash that took Pogacar out was, so to speak, fairly insignificant, but it shows that technically he was still missing something.”

However that does not mean the three-time Roubaix winner will add a fourth consecutive title to his palmarès this spring, Tafi believes. “Tadej Pogačar is extremely determined. If he wants to achieve something, he goes for it and works until he reaches his goal," the Italian argues. With material testing already done in December and an extremely strong block backing him up - alongside a more modest Alpecin team, who lost a few classics specialists this winter - it could balance things out a bit more.

"He has proven he is by far the best rider in the world, so it will be a fantastic battle. And what makes it even more exciting is that you can prepare for Roubaix as well as possible, you can train and practice—but there is always something external that can influence the outcome of the race.”

The former classics specialist and three-time monument winner also argues that the physical differences between the two are also no longer a limiting factor for the more lightweight Pogacar even in a race where raw power rules over W/Kg. “There has been a lot of talk about the weight difference between the two but in my opinion that matters less nowadays. The technical development of the bike has advanced so far that this physical characteristic has become secondary. Pogacar has now practically reached the near-perfect level needed to win Roubaix.”