Where the ogres gather

His appetite knows no limits, his stomach is infallibly strong… and what can be said about his legs! Tadej Pogacar has not lost a road race since last September, the day he handed the victory at the Grand Prix de Montréal to his teammate Brandon McNulty. Since the start of the calendar year, he has raced, and won, only three events, finally adding Milan-Sanremo to his palmarès and, after another remarkable performance at the Tour of Flanders, bringing his total of Monument trophies to 12. The Slovenian giant has thus surpassed Roger De Vlaeminck and now has only Eddy Merckx ahead in the ranking of the greatest classic collectors (19 victories). But one remains elusive, the queen of them all, which he tried to conquer last year, only to finish second. Focused on this major goal and propelled by form as brilliant as his morale, “Pogi” heads toward one of his greatest challenges, this time with real knowledge of the course. Yet that does not make it any easier…

As in 2025, it is against his great one-day rival that Pogacar is expected to face the cobbles of Roubaix. Admittedly, Mathieu van der Poel comes to Paris-Roubaix (except for 2021 and the exceptional Covid-altered calendar) without having won either of the first two Monuments of the year. But at the level he operates, his season start would make almost any rider envious: after claiming his eighth cyclo-cross world title, he has won four road races, including Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the GP E3. In this context, his second place in the “Ronde,” where he was the last and most threatening challenger to the world champion despite the climbs of the Flemish hills, cannot be read as a true weakness on the flat, winding roads of the North, which he masters like no one else. MVDP rarely relies on statistics for motivation, but a fourth victory would put him level with the two record holders, Roger De Vlaeminck (1972-74-75-77) and Tom Boonen (2005-08-09-12). A detail he has undoubtedly noticed.

In the race that Jacques Goddet, the former head of the Tour de France and L’Équipe, called “the last madness of cycling,” the variety of scenarios suggests not limiting attention to the most predictable duel. Especially since the outsiders invited to contest the podium (or perhaps more?) have not disappointed over the past months. Mads Pedersen, prevented from launching his usual early-season streak due to a double fracture (wrist + collarbone) on his return in Spain, has made a highly successful comeback, finishing in the Top 5 at Milan-Sanremo (4^th) and Tour of Flanders (5^th). The Dane must not be underestimated if there is a chance to challenge the two giants. Nor should Wout van Aert, who has regained top form in the classics season (even without a win) and is no longer destined to play the role of eternal unlucky contender. The same goes for the ultra-experienced Jasper Stuyven (5^th in the Ronde), now at Soudal-Quick Step with strong teammates like Tim Merlier and Dylan van Baarle, or for Filippo Ganna, whose latest performance to win À travers la Flandre was highly impressive.