For cycling lovers, Tadej Pogačar has been a household name for at least half a decade, which comes as a bit of a surprise because he was born in 1998, and yet, we have this feeling of him being present on the cycling tour for much longer. After winning his first Tour De France in 2020, he’s added two more titles of this race to his trophy cabinet. And there’s one Giro d’Italia title on those shelves, as well. But that’s not all: Pogačar has also won the Triple Crown of Cycling (Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and the World Cycling Championships) and two Monuments in the same year. With many other individual races under his belt, many cycling analysts and ordinary lovers have been asking the same question: is the Klanec-born, 26-year-old Slovenian already the GOAT of cycling?
For some, the answer to this question is going to arrive soon: after the end of the Paris-Roubaix race on 13 April. Also called the Hell of the North, this race is one of the most demanding Monuments races in the season – the other four Monuments are Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and Giro di Lombardia. In the two previous Monument events already held this season, Pogačar had mixed success. He won the recent Tour of Flanders, with the defending champion Mathieu Van Der Poel coming second. However, the latter won the first Monument race of the year: Milan-San Remo. The Dutch came first, before the Italian Flippo Ganna, with Pogačar taking third position.
At the dawn of the Paris-Roubaix race, Pogačar and Van Der Poel are the most probable winners, with analysts and bookmakers giving the Dutch cyclist a slight advantage over the Slovenian GOAT-candidate. Wout Van Aert has also been given a decent chance of winning the Hell of the North race. Guessing the outcome using offshore sites or domestic bookies is a very common activity for cycling lovers because it spices up the entire folklore of following races and tours.
This year’s Tour of Flanders winning result is the fastest-ever time set in this race. Pogačar’s lightning-fast finish was one of the most spectacular – if not the most spectacular – movements we’ve seen this year in cycling in general. His shape seems to be rising throughout this spring, and it might be that he’s been preparing thoroughly for the forthcoming Paris-Roubaix race. With 8 Monument victories in his hand, he’s still 11 wins behind Eddie Merckx, who won a total of 19 races in the 1960s and 1970s. But there’s one major advantage in Tadej’s hands: he’s only 27, so he has a lot of races before him.
However, the competition isn’t just standing there, looking at him cycling his way to the GOAT. Van Der Poel, who won the Paris-Roubaix race in 2024, has had a very successful season so far. Crossing the finish line first in San Remo and coming second in Bruges speaks in favor of those expecting the Dutch cyclist to take the throne in France, as well. His additional motive is the seven Monument trophies he has already won, meaning he’s only one victory behind Pogačar on this list. If Van Der Poel manages to pull this one off, it will make the entire season the most exciting one in many years.
Also, Wout Van Aert and Mads Pedersen haven’t given up on passing by the two leading cyclists this year at the end of the Hell in the North. Pedersen came second in Flanders, and Van Aert took fourth position. Ganna could also cycle his way to the first three positions because he has proven several times he’s capable of making surprises.
Jonas Vingegaard won’t join the rest of the crew yet, as he’s focused his work this season on the Tour de France.
Nevertheless, the forthcoming race in the north of France will show us whether Pogačar has prepared to get a step closer to the GOAT title, and how ready his rivals are ready enough to put a spoke in his wheels.
The post Pogačar Set to Conquer Paris-Roubaix, Others Following Suit appeared first on PezCycling News.
