"There is no question... Tadej Pogacar is going to ride Paris-Roubaix" - Experts convinced by lack of outright denial from UAE

The will he, won't he dynamic surround Tadej Pogacar's involvement at Paris-Roubaix in 2025 remains one of the hottest topics in the sport after the Slovenian sent the cycling world into a frenzy when video emerged of him training on the cobbles and in the Arenberg Forest. Although neither Pogacar nor UAE Team Emirates - XRG have confirmed the world champ's start in 2025, some believe the lack of an outright denial can only mean one thing.

"For a lot of people it is a question mark, but for me, it is not a question mark. The cycling world doesn't know yet, but it's certainly not a question mark for me after Joxean Matxin's statements; Pogacar is just going to ride Paris-Roubaix," predicts Eurosport expert Jan Hermsen confidently on the latest episode of the Kop over Kop podcast. "How will he do there? I am curious about that. They have a programme up to a certain point and after that they will see if he will ride. No no has been said and if you don't say no, he's just going to ride."

Hermsen co-host on the podcast, Bobbie Traksel is also in agreement that Pogacar will start, although a little less certain in his belief. "Surely it would be cool if he will ride Paris-Roubaix. It also depends on what he performed before that. If it's not quite super at first, he won't ride. Then he will try to win the Amstel Gold Race, the Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège," Traksel muses. "If Pogacar is going to ride Roubaix, then he won't ride those other races. I think he will then say this is the right time to launch that he is going to the Vuelta."

As touched upon in previous articles on the topic, the rumours and speculation regarding Pogacar's Paris-Roubaix involvement is likely to be something that runs and runs, right up until the day UAE Team Emirates - XRG officially confirms their lineup for the race, or maybe even up until the race itself. Only time will tell if the Slovenian will be there at the start or not.