Just days after dominating Strade Bianche for the fourth time, Tadej Pogačar headed to northern France for a muddy recon of Paris-Roubaix alongside Florian Vermeersch, with a month to go until The Hell of the North on April 12.
A ride uploaded to the Belgian's Strava detailed the UAE Team Emirates-XRG pair's 210km ride on Wednesday, done in just under six hours from near Bertry to the Vélodrome André-Pétrieux in Roubaix.
Having traversed the five-star pavè sectors at the Trouée d'Arenberg, Mons-en-Pévelè, and the Carrefour de l'Arbre, Pogačar and Vermeersch continued their journey north into Belgium, finishing up in Waregem – UAE's typical base for the Flemish Classics.
While rain battered his rivals at Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico, Pogačar and Vermeersch did appear to escape the rain – judging by the former's Instagram post – but they were left caked in mud after their efforts.
Pogačar described it as an "Eventful two days. One for stories," on his social media, while the Belgian simply said "What a day" on his Strava caption. He will be one of the World Champion's key domestiques come April, having finished second in Roubaix on debut and fifth in 2025.
It's one of the two Monuments Pogačar is yet to win, alongside Milan-San Remo which arrives first on March 21, and has constantly been signalled as a big target for the Slovenian, who lit up the race on debut last season but ultimately finished second to Mathieu van der Poel after misjudging a corner and crashing.
He described it as "in terms of power, I think it's the hardest race I've done in my life," after his debut, but after an impressive debut where he confirmed the jagged pavé was for him, it was obvious he was going to return to chase victory and more history.
14 riders in history have won both the Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix, but none since all-time great Bernard Hinault in 1981. Perhaps 2026 can be the year Pogačar becomes the 15th and adds his name to that elite list, alongside the likes of Eddy Merckx, Fausto Coppi and Hinault.
Three-time winner in a row, Van der Poel, is currently racing in Italy alongside another contender and long-term rival, Wout van Aert, and both men were asked if they had seen Pogačar's post on the morning of stage 4.
"It's clear he made it a goal, but that's no secret," Van der Poel told Sporza.
"It's pretty normal that they prepare well," Van Aert said, speaking to Sporza and Nieuwsblad. "We do that too. But it's clear that Pogačar has his mind set on it.
"It's only the second time he's ridden Roubaix, so maybe he still has a gap to make up. You can tell he's preparing incredibly well for that race."
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