"I prefer to win Paris-Roubaix over the fifth Tour": Pogacar reveals his 2026 calendar

Tadej Poga?ar has already laid out his roadmap for the 2026 season, and as expected, it is not a conventional program. The Slovenian from UAE Team Emirates-XRG will once again bet on a combination of major Classics and the Tour de France, with two objectives standing out above the rest: to win Paris-Roubaix for the first time and to conquer a historic fifth Tour de France.

Pogacar reveals part of his 2026 calendar

The reigning world champion unveiled his calendar during a team training camp in Benidorm, making it clear that his approach to cycling continues to move away from the more traditional plans of contenders for the Grand Tours. Poga?ar will expose himself again in the spring, taking on the risks of the Northern Classics before focusing on his major summer challenge.

The start of the season will be very similar to that of 2025. Poga?ar will begin his competitive season at Strade Bianche, then link up with Milan-San Remo, before diving into the block of Northern Classics. His agenda includes Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, thus completing the five Monuments of spring.

Special attention is once again on Roubaix. After his surprising second place in his debut, the Slovenian does not hide that winning in the "Hell of the North" has become a personal priority. In fact, Poga?ar himself has acknowledged that if he had to choose, he would prefer to lift the cobblestone of Roubaix rather than add a fifth Tour, arguing that "there is more difference between never having won Roubaix and doing it once than between winning four or five Tours."

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This is not an improvised idea. In recent weeks, he has already been seen recognizing sectors of cobblestones and testing specific equipment, a clear sign that his commitment to this race is total.

After the block of Classics, Poga?ar will not follow the usual path of other Tour contenders. Instead of Paris-Nice or the Critérium du Dauphiné, the Slovenian has opted to compete in Tour de Romandie and Tour de Suisse, two one-week races that he will use as direct preparation for July.

The main goal of the summer will be the Tour de France, where he will seek his fifth victory and definitively enter the historic club formed by Miguel Induráin, Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx, and Jacques Anquetil. Poga?ar will arrive at the Grande Boucle without João Almeida, who in 2026 will focus his season on the Giro and Vuelta, but with confidence in new support like Isaac del Toro, who will debut in the Tour.

When asked about the growing competition, especially from the alliance of Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz in Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Poga?ar remained calm. For him, the Tour always gathers the highest possible level, and there is no room to choose rivals: “every year the best are there, and you always have to be prepared for everyone.”

He also acknowledged the risks involved in racing such demanding Classics as Roubaix before the Tour, but accepted that danger is part of modern cycling and a serious fall can happen both in a race and while training.

What he is clear about is that the Classics remain the terrain where he enjoys the most. One-day races, maximum intensity, and everything decided in a few hours, far from the constant pressure of three weeks fighting for yellow.

Confirmed calendar of Tadej Poga?ar for 2026

• Strade Bianche
• Milan-San Remo
• Tour of Flanders
• Paris-Roubaix
• Liège-Bastogne-Liège
• Tour de Romandie
• Tour de Suisse
• Tour de France