Pogacar caught training on the route of the Paris-Roubaix

Although it was already clear that the Paris-Roubaix, one of the major victories alongside Milan-San Remo that Tadej Pogacar does not have in his record, would be a top priority in 2026, the obsession to win this race seems to be greater than imagined, as evidenced by the fact that, in the middle of December, Tadej Pogacar is already recognizing the cobblestone sections of the Hell of the North.

The Paris-Roubaix, Tadej Pogacar's number 1 objective in 2026

While we are still in the middle of the preseason, the objectives of the cyclists are already starting to take shape, and Tadej Pogacar does not want to leave anything to chance for this spring. He and his teammates in the classics, Nils Politt and Tim Wellens, spent a day around Roubaix, as reported by several French media, recognizing several of the most relevant sections of the race, such as the famous Carrefour de l'Arbre, and testing the equipment they will use in this very specific race.

French media reported the statements of a local who revealed the presence of the UAE Team Emirates-XRG cyclists in the area: "I live nearby, in Sainghin-en-Mélantois, and I ride my bike a lot. When I arrived at the Carrefour de l'Arbre, I saw cars from the United Arab Emirates in the distance, and as I got closer, I recognized Tim Wellens' Belgian champion jersey. Then I saw the rainbow bike and realized it was Pogacar. I heard them talking. They were heading back to Cysoing to take the cobblestones of Bourghelles and return via L'Arbre. In the middle of winter, it's quite risky. It has rained a lot lately. The cobblestones are wet, and there are muddy sections."

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The Paris-Roubaix, a race in which Tadej Pogacar debuted in 2025 and where only one mistake and a small fall prevented him from contesting the victory against Mathieu van der Poel, forcing him to settle for a commendable second place, is one of the two monuments, along with Milan-San Remo, that still elude the Slovenian cyclist.

At this point, it is no longer surprising that Tadej Pogacar competes with history in mind, and one of the great milestones missing from his palmarès is to conquer the 5 Monuments, something that only three cyclists have achieved throughout history: Roger de Vlaeminck, Rick van Looy, and, of course, the great Eddy Merckx. As of today, he seems to be the only active cyclist capable of achieving this milestone, as another cyclist with three monuments in his palmarès, Mathieu van der Poel, faces the handicap of the excessive difficulty of Liège and Lombardia for his characteristics.