Roubaix Riddle Strikes Again, Pogačar Hints at Third Attempt

Tadej Pogačar appeared deflated at the end of Paris-Roubaix on Sunday, his face marked by dust, sweat and effort, and he initially declined to clarify if he would ride the race again.

He had just been outsprinted by Wout Van Aert inside the hallowed velodrome, losing out by a narrow margin after doing the bulk of the work in their two man breakaway.

Pogačar appeared the stronger rider, putting his Belgian rival under pressure with numerous attacks on the cobbles, but Van Aert grimly clung on to each surge and then proved fastest at the end.

That’s why the world champion seemed a bit shell shocked at the finish, and why he gave a non-committal answer when he was asked if he would return to try again.

“I cannot say now,” he told the TV interviewer, his voice trailing off.

Later he was a little more clear.

“I still have a few years in my career, I hope. I will try to come back and give it a go again.”

Cue a sigh of relief from his fans, but it’s easy to understand his disappointment.

‘I was honestly a little bit gone already’

Until Sunday Pogačar had been undefeated so far this season, winning Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders with commanding displays. He hoped to keep that momentum going in northern France but suffered a setback early on. He said he was missing something afterwards as a result.

“I think most of the people today had a lot of problem with punctures,” he explained, speaking about the infamous complications of a race run over some of the roughest roads in the sport. “I had three punctures today and three bike changes, so it was not ideal. I had a super strong team to bring me back just before Arenberg. But then I was a little bit already cooked.”

Van Aert was one of those who was also affected, although his first of two punctures happened earlier in the race. As for Pogačar’s anticipated main rival Mathieu Van der Poel, he too was hit by misfortune, puncturing in Arenberg, losing loads of time after changing bikes with Jasper Philipsen but then dismounting again, and finally taking the front wheel of Tibor del Grosso. He then had another flat.

Del Grosso was also affected, something Pogačar noted in the post-race press conference.

“I just came to the group before Arenberg and I was honestly a little bit gone there already,” he said. “I think Tibor from Alpecin had a puncture and I think he saved it really well, because if you puncture in Arenberg it is hard to stay on the bike. So chapeau to him and also to Van der Poel when he punctured, I think he stayed on the bike [too].

“It is a very bad moment to puncture, I think it is the worst.”

Missing teammates

Pogačar is normally very calm but appeared to panic when the flat happened. His body language was agitated and he shouted at a TV motorbike which he felt was lingering too close.

He got a Shimano neutral service bike but changed soon afterwards to his own machine. Pogačar later had another bike swap, but appeared more relaxed when that happened and returned more quickly to the front.

However his prospects were likely affected by the energy his teammates had to put into helping him back, with those riders put out of action after chasing back. He was also missing key rider Florian Vermeersch in the break.

“When we came out [of Arenberg – ed.], I missed Florian from the forest,” he said, then added with humor. “He got lost in the wood somewhere. I don’t know where he went, I think he crashed. I need to speak to him also.

“I think the group was everywhere, I don’t know where everybody was. But from then on we had to race against each other in the group that we were in, and also to try to keep the gaps open.”

‘I saw quite fast it would be mission impossible’

Van der Poel is a three time winner of Roubaix and put in a huge effort to try to return. He was at one point over two minutes back, but cut that deficit down to 22 seconds with 54km left to ride.

That prompted Van Aert to make a decisive move, the Belgian attacking hard from the front group just before the Auchy-les-Orchies à Bersée sector and initially going clear alone.

Pogačar bridged across, Mads Pedersen in tow, but the Danish Lidl-Trek rider was dropped when the Slovenian accelerated past Van Aert and forced the Belgian to considerably ramp up his pace.

He was able to hold Pogačar then and also on numerous other occasions when the world champion tried to drop him.

His chances of doing so were boosted by the hints of fatigue Pogačar was feeling after his chase.

“When I was with Wout there was not much freshness in the legs to really have a chance to drop him on the cobbles,” he later explained. “I saw quite fast it would be mission impossible, but then give my best in the sprint. But he won Champs Elysees in the end, so it is hard to beat him.”

Pogačar was referring to Van Aert’s bunch sprint victory in the 2021 Tour de France but, equally, he could have referenced his win last July in the same location.

On that occasion Van Aert managed to drop Pogačar on the Montmartre climb in Paris, being the only rider in many months able to distance him in an attack.

That may have been on Pogačar’s mind on Sunday. He certainly was cautious of him, and knew he had to do something special to win.

Trying to find the answer

The 27 year old was initially optimistic about his chances. Few riders can hold him when he goes all out, although the flat terrain did hand the Belgian a weight advantage.

“When he attacked for the first time, I still believed that I could maybe counter attack him,” Pogačar said. “But he rode super smart afterwards. We shared the work quite well.”

Determined to try again, he put in several searing moves, including a huge effort on the Carrefour de l’Arbre. However the conditions were against him.

“Carrefour is really hard, but then the wind is also in the face,” he explained, noting a complication in getting and holding a gap. “I knew maybe from there it was going to be 99 percent impossible, but I still had hope in the sprint. But when I started the sprint my legs were like spaghetti.”

And so the victory slipped away. That’ll be greatly frustrating for him, considering how close he went, and considering how badly he wants to accomplish this particular challenge.

Thus far Roubaix has been a history of frustration for him. He’s started the race twice, he’s finished second twice. And while he’s the most gifted rider in cycling, there is something about Roubaix that makes it complicated. The issue is far flatter roads than the other monuments, with only 1314 meters of elevation gain.

Is this therefore the most difficult of those big one day races for him to win?

“Right now it seems like that,” he admitted. “Two weeks ago I would say San Remo, but now coming second again here…

“It is still my second time here. Let’s give it some time and we will see.”

That sounds encouraging, something like a commitment to return. His fans will seize on that and look towards next season with hope.

But, before turning the page on this year’s race, is there anything else he thinks he could or should have done on Sunday?

“There’s always something you could do differently,” he answered. “Right now it is so close after the race I think it is not my best, but tomorrow after the dust settles maybe we will analyze and see what I could have done better.

“But I think in such a chaotic race I did pretty good. I did my best and no regrets for sure.”