"Two years ago he crashed at Liège and that cost him the Tour de France" - Italian ex-pro sends warning to Paris-Roubaix bound Tadej Pogacar

Tadej Pogacar has officially confirmed his presence at Paris-Roubaix in 2025. In the process, the world champion is set to become the first defending Tour de France champion to compete on the iconic cobbles since Greg LeMond back in 1991. Given the dangers of Paris-Roubaix though, are the risks worth the potential reward for the UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader?

With Pogacar's Paris-Roubaix presence being a bombshell announcement in the cycling world, understandably there is a lot of discussion from various notable names within the sport. In a recent interview with Bici.Pro, three-time Grand Tour stage winner turned XDS Astana Team sports director, Stefano Zanini was asked his thoughts on the subject.

"Whether it’s dangerous or not really depends on how the riders behave on the bike," Zanini begins. "Personally, I don’t see it as being any more dangerous than other races, which these days are all complicated by the traffic dividers and barriers that are everywhere. I hear from my riders that some take more risks than they should. Sometimes, all it takes is waiting for a moment to pass through certain sections. Many falls happen because of this — riders don’t brake when they should, simply because they’re caught up in the moment."

As such, whilst the threat of the cobbles might be somewhat overblown in Zanini's opinion, just the presence of wariness within the peloton could be enough to raise the tension levels and ultimately put Pogacar at risk. "Maybe, yes. But it’s also true that if you focus too much on the risk of crashes, you’d never race again, because they can happen anytime, as we’ve seen in recent years," he debates. "For example, two years ago he crashed at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, when no one expected it, and that cost him the Tour de France."

Even UAE Team Emirates - XRG's own Mauro Gianetti has raised concerns about potential ramifications of any Paris-Roubaix crash for Pogacar. "I understand that some teams, compared to others, have to focus on protecting their athletes, especially if they are eyeing the Grand Tours," Zanini says of this fact. "They must weigh everything up and then make their decision. I’d like to have the same concerns, but unfortunately, for the moment, we (XDS Astana Team ed.) don’t."

In terms of whether or not a crash at Paris-Roubaix is likely to prove more costly than a crash elsewhere, Zanini believes much of it boils down to luck. "Even when descending, you could just slide without consequences, while sometimes, falling at low speed can lead to a broken wrist or collarbone," explains the 56-year-old. "I’ve had crashes at high speed where I wasn’t hurt, and others where I got injured from a silly fall. There are so many variables. Of course, there’s bad luck involved, and maybe some riders are a bit less skilled at handling the bike or slower to react, which puts them more at risk than others."

"I think it’s just random. At Roubaix, punctures often happen when you’re riding in a line behind someone else, with no fault of your own. But even then, there are variables," Zanini concludes. "For example, it’s important to stay in the middle of the road, where the cobbles are better, especially when they’re wet. If you ride on the side, in puddles, you never know what’s underneath."