"We’ll definitely see him back... He has unfinished business here" - Tadej Pogacar's UAE teammate sends warning to the peloton after Paris-Roubaix 2025
Cycling
For the first time in his illustrious career, Tadej Pogacar tackled the iconic cobbles of Paris-Roubaix on Sunday afternoon. For the majority of the race, the Slovenian looked every bit the match of Mathieu van der Poel too, before one small mistake proved key. Given this bitter ending though, Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates - XRG teammate Florian Vermeersch believes it won't be too long before we see the world champ on the cobbles once again!
“It's a bit of a shame that we lost the race here. Especially because of how it happened," began Vermeersch in his post-race interview afterwards, having secured a top-5 placing of his own at the line. "First Pogacar crashed, and then the wheel on his new bike broke. We came here to win. That didn’t happen, so of course it’s disappointing."
"But on the other hand, we also have to be satisfied. Finishing second and fifth is a great result in a race like this," the Belgian is quick to add however, not fully towing a line of doom and gloom. "We’ve shown that we’re a strong team for the Classics as well. But right now, the disappointment is what stands out.”
As mentioned though, the key point here is that because it was ultimately a mechanical that denied Pogacar the chance to fight for the win, there is a real sense that the Slovenian is already thinking of a return. “I don’t know if it’ll be next year, but we’ll definitely see him back," insists Vermeersch excitingly. "With today’s second place, it feels like he still has unfinished business here.”
And as for his own performance, this 5th is another indicator of Vermeersch's growing importance to UAE's Spring Classics block. “I’ve had great legs throughout the entire Classics season. So to now finish in the top five really means a lot to me. I was sprinting for the podium — and in a race like this, that’s definitely something to be proud of,” he concludes.
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Tadej Pogacar is now the second active rider after MVDP to have a top 10 in each monument and the World Championships and the only active rider to have a podium in all the monuments and the World Championships#ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/N0lH97ZDse
— La Flamme Rouge (@laflammerouge16) April 13, 2025
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
- Pogacar has a fine head on his shoulders.Careful investments and a couple of coffee shops sounds like a wonderful way to chill after an intense career.Stay healthy GOAT.
Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
- I live in Ljubljana and often go on trips in the surrounding area, where I frequently see young cyclists in 'Pogi Team' jerseys training, either alone or in groups. By simply motivating so many young people to take up cycling, Tadej has already achieved something truly significant.Velijo14-11-2026
- That's an excellent point. It's interesting that Vader came to that realization only after he learned that his contract wasn't going to be renewed.
santiagobenites14-11-2026 - Indeed! A reluctant gift maybe. Even more reluctant gift from Roglic! Tho I can’t see that Rog would have beaten Ving anyway.Lozza14-11-2026
- That really nasty crash in 2022 Liege must have played a big part - broken ribs, pneumothorax. You only have to look at his points tallies pre and post.Lozza14-11-2026
- Yeah, good luck getting tv and race organisers like ASO etc to part with their cash!Lozza14-11-2026
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