Thierry Gouvenou on Pogacar’s Paris–Roubaix debut: “With him, you never know”

After winning the Tour of Flanders for a second time last weekend, Tadej Pogacar now turns his attention to new ground ,quite literally, as he prepares for his debut at Paris–Roubaix this Sunday. It’s a race considered one of the most brutal in cycling, and far from a guaranteed success, even for someone of Pogacar’s extraordinary calibre.

Thierry Gouvenou, one of the lead course designers for the Tour de France and a key figure in French cycling, shared his thoughts on the Slovenian’s Roubaix debut in an interview with Cyclism’Actu.

"The arrival of Tadej Pogacar is still an exceptional moment. We've been waiting for the arrival of the last winner of the Tour de France for 34 years... and there you go, it's for 2025! We can't wait. We know he's ultra dominant at the moment.

“On the other hand, we don't know how he'll perform in Paris-Roubaix. Can you win Paris-Roubaix without having done it before? If you look at the statistics, no... but with him, you never know. He's knocking on the door of the cycling legend, he's as great as Eddy Merckx, and he wants to add this Monument to his list of achievements. For the moment, nothing can resist him," he said.

While Pogacar has proven he can master the cobbles, as shown in his performances at the Tour of Flanders and on the pavé during the Tour de France, Roubaix presents a different kind of challenge altogether.

"But Pogacar's real opponent is first and foremost the course, and it will be interesting to gauge him on it, with 55 km of formidable cobblestones. We can think that they will still wear him out. Only after that will he have to deal with the competition, with riders at their best like Mathieu van der Poel, Filippo Ganna, Mads Pedersen, and a Wout Van Aert who is coming back well. It promises a lot, and we can think that it will be the smartest who will win Paris-Roubaix."