Mauro Gianetti leads Tadej Pogacar at the UAE Team Emirates - XRG team car throughout most of the year, and this would potentially happen if the World Champion is racing Paris-Roubaix. He didn't give a no, but the Italian cements the claim that the team will not take him to the 'Hell of the North'.
“Roubaix is not in the planning. Tadej was in Belgium to recon the Tour of Flanders. When Tim [Wellens] went to recon Paris-Roubaix the next day, he just went along," Gianetti explained in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws. "He had to train anyway. And it's Tadej: he felt good, Tim started filming him, it was a joke.”
Pogacar and Wellens did a recon of the Tour of Flanders on a Saturday, and Wellens also went to recon the Paris-Roubaix route where Pogacar followed along. A viable option, although it is understandable why it would create big rumours. The two were expected to be joined by António Morgado and Nils Politt, but both had health issues that prevented it.
Many believe that Pogacar will indeed race Roubaix, that it is a choice that's already been made or will be made soon, but Gianetti assures it is not that simple. “You know, it's complicated. Of course it's a race that Tadej loves, it's a dream, but it's also Roubaix: not a race you start without good preparation.” Regardless of how talented the Slovenian is, by no means would he be an overwhelming favourite in a race where Mathieu van der Poel has won the past two editions in Pogacar-esque dominance.
The words of Wellens and DS Fabio Baldato on how well Pogacar rode through the cobbles certainly didn't help contain the assumptions. “It's Tadej, what can I say? The level of cycling is higher than ever and yet he still stands out. But to simply beat Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Jasper Philipsen in Roubaix? We have to be realistic and respectful. I saw Van der Poel cyclocross... In Roubaix there are no climbs to make a difference. It would be very difficult," he concluded.
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It’s cool down time for @TamauPogi at the #UAETour 😅
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) February 18, 2025
Tadej produced a great ride to sit briefly in the day’s hot seat, with our two-time champion placing third in the preliminary results up to this point ⏱️
We’ll see how things shake down come the end of the stage 🔜 #WeAreUAE pic.twitter.com/bieBI1mLFl
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Podcast sounds great. Two so called experts stating the f*cking obvious.wrsty04-11-2026
- A mindset that reminds me of Tim Declerq. I loved watching that guy just pound away the kilometers, hours at the front, holding an entire breakaway in check on his own. Bjerg seems like a similar guy. Curling, the team sport.RidesHills04-11-2026
- He will be lol, but he can still win on the climbs hahaawp04-11-2026
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- I'll say clean sweep all grand tourZamorano04-11-2026
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