"Today, Tadej Pogacar is the greatest, but he also has the strongest team" - Italian legend highlights UAE edge over rivals ahead of Tour of Flanders 2026

The discussion around Tadej Pogacar’s standing in the modern peloton often centres on his individual brilliance, but Italian cycling legend Gianni Bugno sees a more decisive factor behind that dominance heading into the 2026 Tour of Flanders.

The 1994 Tour of Flanders winner pointed not only to Pogacar’s level, but to the collective strength around him as the element that truly separates him from his rivals on the cobbles.

“Today, he is the greatest, but he also has the strongest team. UAE Team Emirates - XRG has no comparison," Bugno says in conversation with AS. "It is difficult to compete with them. Pogacar’s rivals do not have the same strength behind them. He can shape any race however he wants.”

That assessment reframes the expected battle in Flanders. While Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert remain the most obvious challengers on this terrain, Bugno’s view suggests the gap is not simply down to legs, but to how the race can be controlled long before the decisive climbs.

In recent editions, the Tour of Flanders has often been reduced to moments on the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg, but the route to those points is increasingly dictated by depth and positioning across the full 278 kilometres.

For Bugno, that is where Pogacar’s advantage becomes most apparent. With UAE Team Emirates - XRG able to impose structure early and sustain pressure deep into the race, the Slovenian is rarely forced to respond in isolation.

That dynamic contrasts with riders such as Van der Poel and Van Aert, who, despite their own strength, have more frequently found themselves navigating decisive phases without the same level of collective backing.

Bugno’s wider view of the race reflects that imbalance, even as he acknowledges the quality across the field. “This time the number one favourite is Tadej Pogacar, although watch out for Van der Poel. We will also have to see how Van Aert is… and Remco Evenepoel, who is riding it for the first time. He could surprise, because I think the nature of this race suits his characteristics.”

That does not diminish Pogacar’s individual standing in Bugno’s eyes. If anything, it reinforces it, placing him at the centre of a race that can be bent to his strengths in multiple ways. “There are not several favourites, but just one. Truly, he has no rivals. He is a fantastic cyclist.”

He also pointed to Pogacar’s recent performances as further evidence of the gap he has opened. “Did you see his superiority at San Remo or Strade Bianche? It will be extremely difficult.”

Even so, the presence of Van der Poel, Van Aert and the debuting Evenepoel ensures that Flanders will not be defined by one scenario alone. The question is not only who has the strongest legs, but who can navigate a race increasingly shaped by collective control as much as individual moments.

Bugno’s reading offers a clear shift in emphasis. Pogacar may stand at the top of the sport on his own merits, but in a race like the Tour of Flanders, it is the strength of the team around him that could prove decisive in turning that status into victory.