Tadej Pogačar: Winning Paris-Roubaix Feels Inevitable

Tadej Pogačar enters the 2026 Paris-Roubaix with the opportunity to become only the fourth professional cyclist in history to win all five of cycling’s monuments. The Slovenian world champion, who has remained unbeaten throughout the 2026 season, is seeking a victory in the race often referred to as the Hell of the North.

A win on April 13, 2026, would place Pogačar in an elite group alongside Rik Van Looy, Eddy Merckx, and Roger De Vlaeminck. Despite the historical significance of the achievement, Pogačar has downplayed the pressure surrounding the event during team presentations on April 11, 2026.

Approach to the Race

Pogačar has stated that winning Paris-Roubaix is not an obsession for him. While acknowledging the desire to win, he has dismissed the notion of focusing on the club of riders who have won all five monuments.

Everybody talks about some sort of club, but it’s a monument, and we go for the win, as we do in any race we start. We didn’t succeed yet, so for us it would be amazing if we can win it, but we don’t sit on the bus or eat dinner and talk about some club.

Tadej Pogačar

The race is widely considered one of the most brutal one-day events in cycling. Its difficulty is such that no Tour de France winner has secured a victory at Paris-Roubaix since Bernard Hinault in the 1980s.

Lessons from 2025

Pogačar’s pursuit of the title follows a narrow defeat during his debut in the 2025 edition. In that race, he finished in second place behind Mathieu van der Poel. His performance was noted for its strength, as he competed against classics specialists such as Wout van Aert and Mads Pedersen despite being primarily known as a climber and Tour de France winner.

The 2025 race ended for Pogačar following a misjudgement at a right-hand corner on the Pont-Thibault to Ennevelin sector. This crash occurred while Pogačar had Van der Poel under pressure, ultimately allowing the latter to secure a third consecutive win.

Reflecting on the incident during his recon, Pogačar noted that while he can see the corner where the mistake happened, it does not cause him distress. He stated that crashing is a common occurrence in cycling and should not be a source of concern.

No, in cycling you crash quite often, so it shouldn’t bother you, one corner.

Tadej Pogačar

Following his second-place finish in 2025, Pogačar described the event as one of the roughest and hardest races he had ever completed. While he does not believe he has gained a vast amount of experience from a single appearance, he hopes to apply the lessons learned from that debut to his 2026 attempt.

Current Status

Pogačar enters the event as the reigning world champion and continues a dominant 2026 campaign. While he maintains a composed exterior, observers in the cycling community have noted a sense of inevitability regarding his potential success in the race.

The race remains the final piece of a grand slam for Pogačar, who would join the pantheon of cycling’s greatest riders by completing the set of five monuments.