Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) will return to Paris-Roubaix this Sunday with more history in his sights, one year on from his explosive debut over the pavé of northern France, where a late crash saw him finish second in the iconic Velodrome behind Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech).
So far in 2026, he's won all three of his race appearances, at Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders last Sunday, but even his team described Roubaix as "his ultimate test."
He will be attempting to become the fourth man and first non-Belgian to win all five of cycling's Monuments at Roubaix, having claimed Milan-San Remo at the sixth attempt in March. If he wins, he will also be the first to win five of the most prestigious one-day races in a row, a streak extending back to Liège-Bastogne-Liège last season.
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"It’s no secret that Paris-Roubaix is one of the big goals for this part of the season," said Pogačar on his team website. "The few races I’ve done so far have gone perfectly so the motivation is high but the pressure is low."
Riding in support of the World Champion will be two former Roubaix podium-finishers, superdomestique Florian Vermeersch and Nils Politt, with Mikkel Bjerg, Juan Sebastián Molano, António Morgado, and Rui Oliveira set to do the early work during the 260km race.
"I’m going to enjoy it no matter what the result and I’m looking forward to a good weekend of racing," said Pogačar. "We have such a strong team with guys who have been on the podium here before so it’s not only me who is capable of a result."
Having been the first reigning Tour de France winner to chase Roubaix glory since 1991, Pogačar was in with a chance of victory having survived until the final 40km alongside eventual three-time winner Van der Poel, but overshooting a corner with 38km to go saw the Dutchman get away solo.
After his crash, Pogačar couldn't re-make contact and had to settle for the runner-up spot, describing his first Sunday in Hell as "the hardest race I've done in my life." He finished 1:18 in arrears of Van der Poel but 53 seconds ahead of Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) in third.
His success in San Remo led the Slovenian to state that "From now on, Roubaix will be the toughest challenge of them all," in the build-up to the Tour of Flanders, and while he dominated that race for a third time, he will lose his biggest advantage this weekend: the climbs.
Absolute power can get you far over the pavé, of course, but the heavier Classics specialists like Van der Poel, Pedersen, Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) will all be on favoured ground this time out.
To beat them, Pogačar will want to make it an absolute test of endurance, with repeated attacks over the toughest sectors likely his best path to glory in the velodrome, but even he will need some luck along the way.
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