"You need a team that can do a lot of the groundwork - that was missing" - Jens Voigt sees clear reason for Tadej Pogacar's Paris-Roubaix disappointment

Tadej Pogacar gave it good go last Sunday on his Paris-Roubaix debut, but the world champion ultimately came up just a little short in his battle against Mathieu van der Poel at the 'Hell of the North'. According to German cycling icon Jens Voigt, a partial reason for this might be the fact that for once, UAE Team Emirates - XRG were a little outgunned.

"How many riders come second in their first attempt? There aren't many who can say that," begins the 53-year-old German in his post-race assessment of the current world champion for Eurosport, quick to point out that whilst ultimately beaten, Pogacar can definitely reflect positively on his Paris-Roubaix debut. "He did incredibly well. He really made a strong impression."

As mentioned though, Voigt sees a potentially key reason for Pogacar's ultimate defeat by Van der Poel and it's not the Slovenian's late crash or the super strong legs of the Alpecin-Deceuninck leader. Instead, it's the different strength and experience of the support squads surrounding the two superstars.

Whilst ordinarily, UAE Team Emirates - XRG are the unquestioned strongest team in the peloton whenever they turn up to race, in the Monuments however, it has consistently been Alpecin-Deceuninck who have proven themselves top dogs. Following Van der Poel's most recent victory at Paris-Roubaix, the team have now claimed an incredible hat-trick of successive wins both on the cobbles of France and in Milano-Sanremo over recent editions.

"You can’t win a race like Paris-Roubaix with just brute strength and talent alone," explains Voigt. "You need a team that can do a lot of the groundwork - and that was missing a bit."

Nevertheless, the experienced German is convinced the suffocation of Van der Poel and Pogacar of cycling's biggest one-day races is something that shows no signs of slowing down. "For the next two or three years, these two will likely dominate," he concludes. "It might be frustrating for the other riders, but that’s just how things stand right now. There’s no way around van der Poel and Pogacar."