Tadej Pogačar to Compete in Paris-Roubaix for the First Time

Cycling star Tadej Pogačar will participate in the infamous cobblestone classic Paris-Roubaix for the first time, as announced by his UAE Team. The Slovenian rider will skip the E3 Prize on Friday and Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday to concentrate on the Tour of Flanders on April 6 and the „Hell of the North“ a week later.

A victory in Roubaix would be a significant achievement for Pogačar in his quest for the five monuments of cycling. The 26-year-old has already triumphed in three of these races: Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and the Tour of Lombardy. However, he has faced repeated setbacks in Milan-Sanremo, which took place last Saturday. Only Belgian cyclists Eddy Merckx, Rik Van Looy, and Roger De Vlaeminck have previously won all five monuments at least once.

Controversy Over Participation

Speculation about Pogačar’s participation in Paris-Roubaix was kept under wraps for a long time. Although the three-time Tour de France winner trained in the region a few weeks ago and rode through the notorious Arenberg Forest, the team management was consistently opposed to his entry. They view Roubaix as a significant crash risk, which could jeopardize their primary season goal: winning the Tour.

Topographically, the 259-kilometer race to the Roubaix velodrome isn’t particularly demanding. However, approximately 55 kilometers of the course is on cobblestones, which presents a formidable challenge for both riders and their equipment.