Tom Boonen: "Pogačar can certainly also kick the necessary wattages to be good in Roubaix"

Tom Boonen is a four-time winner of Paris-Roubaix, and already within modern cycling. He's one of the most important figures in the cobbles of northern France and also one who knows them best, and he suggests that Tadej Pogacar definitely has the potential to thrive over the French monument.

“That you have to be heavy to ride fast over cobblestones is a story that has taken on a life of its own. But it's nonsense. You just have to be strong. Often big riders are also strong. They have a little more power on the flat. But Pogačar can certainly also kick the necessary wattages to be good in Roubaix," Tom Boonen said of Pogacar in the Wielerclub Wattage.

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“In the youth group, all the good riders rode all the classics. Then I saw that good riders can also ride well on cobblestones. Once on the track in Roubaix I was beaten by Thomas Voeckler in the sprint for second place and in the U23 I came fourth in 2001 in an edition that was won by Yaroslav Popovych. A few years later, he competed for the overall win in the Giro.”

Pogacar has recently won the Tour of Flanders, making it three out of five monuments that he's already conquered. An important achievement, but also one that launched the 24-year old into a very plausible possibility of being the first rider in decades to win all. Pogacar does not have much experience over this terrain - which differs from Flanders where he can make the difference on the climbs - but he's shown at the Tour de France last year to ride strongly over them, taking time on the competition on that day. 

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A lot has changed since Boonen retired from cycling back in 2017, as he reports on technological evolution which sees the riders race more efficiently over the terrain. “Wider tubes (of 30 millimeters, ed.) are now being used. As a result, there is less impact force in the bicycle and the weight is less important.”

Although Pogacar is unlikely to race Roubaix this year he has manifested interest in the race, and it could be part of his plans in the long-term as he looks to continue making history in cycling. “You cannot compare that race with these races. I once did Paris-Roubaix as a junior and I can't imagine how tough it must be as an elite. You experience a completely different kind of pain. The suffering on the cobblestones is really painful," Pogacar recently said. 

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"When you climb on cobblestones, it is different. To win that competition, I also have to gain some kilos. It's going to be tough. At the moment I think I'm still too light. So let's save Roubaix for the future," he mentioned. The UAE Team Emirates rider is set to focus now on the Ardennes classics before resting up and preparing for the Tour de France.

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