Thijs Zonneveld expects great things from Visma at Roubaix: "They can the entire peloton into pieces at any moment"
Cycling
The 2025 edition of Paris-Roubaix is greatly anticipated, perhaps more than even before. Obviously, that is the case thanks to the presence of Tadej Pogacar who will take on the winner of last two editions Mathieu van der Poel. But Thijs Zonneveld sees more favorites, in particular the strong Team Visma | Lease a Bike with Wout Van Aert in its core.
The Dutch formation will be at the start with a special tyre system from Gravaa, which Zonneveld is impressed with. "They have tested it before, of course, also in the GP Denain, where Matthew Brennan won. They rode with it then. I expect the entire team to use this system," he states in the podcast In De Waaier.
"It really is a weapon for Visma | Lease a Bike," the Dutchman continues. "It is a fantastic development that they have picked up excellently at the team. It could easily give them the victory, and I expect that more teams will ride with this system in the coming years."
Wout van Aert will have a very strong team in his hunt for his first victory in the Hell of the North. "With Edoardo Affini, Niklas Behrens, Per Strand Hagenes, Brennan and Dylan van Baarle you simply have a great team. They really have the ability to ride the entire peloton to pieces at a given moment. I am very curious."
But the opposition for Van Aert's team is enormous. For example, he will come up against Pogacar. "I think that Tadej's love for racing and wanting to win everywhere is just so strong. I do expect that Tadej will not get any space, but the team he has with him is of course also absurdly strong, but he is the only leader, which can be dangerous."
And Filippo Ganna? Zonneveld has his doubts about the Italian. "In theory, he's actually made for Paris-Roubaix. He's never had a good result in the race, apart from a sixth place. But with his power and weight, he's of course extremely dangerous."
Finally, the team of Mads Pedersen and Jonathan Milan would love to play a role on Sunday. "Lidl-Trek has such a strong team with Mads Pedersen, Jasper Stuyven and Daan Hoole. But you can't forget Jonathan Milan. Just try to beat him. If you ride with him towards the Velodrome, you know you have a problem. On the track he has of course the most experience."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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