VIDEO | Tadej Pogacar does 2-day recon of Paris-Roubaix in search of victory on the Hell of the North

Paris-Roubaix takes place one month from today, and today Tadej Pogacar is returning home after winning Strade Bianche and conducting a more in-depth recon of Paris-Roubaix. The World Champion has his eyes on the 'Hell of the North' and has spent two days in northern France to remind himself of the many cobbled sectors.

Pogacar made his debut in the French monument and rode to a second place, aided by his early attacks which made the difference on the cobbled sectors, despite the potential struggle for positioning or raw power that he might have had in comparison with other seasoned classics specialists. He showed that it is possible right from the get go to fight for the victory in Roubaix, but a late crash saw him lose valuable time to Mathieu van der Poel which he never managed to recover.

However a year older and with past racing experience in Roubaix, 2026 Pogacar may be more dangerous to the Dutchman. At the time being, it is very unlikely that other riders will be able to get in the mix as Mads Pedersen is still sitting out an injury suffered in early February; whilst Wout van Aert's struggles with positioning are likely to be a major obstacle in the cobbled classics.

Whilst the latter two are currently racing at Tirreno-Adriatico and priming their form, Pogacar has spent the last two days in the north of France. In a post shared by himself, he has several clips and pictures riding the cobbled sectors and narrow roads alongside teammate Florian Vermeersch, who was fifth last year. The two are set to be the team's most important assets in a race that has no equal in the peloton.

Back in early December, Pogacar had already spent time in the area, but at the time there was a bigger focus on equipment testing. This time around, the prime focus was on the recon of the course, taking in more information about the roads in which the race goes through. Knowledge of the roads helps with knowing when to spend the energy to position and when not to, which is ultimately a key asset in those that look to fight for the wins in the spring classics.