Updated April 5, 2026 03:59PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/a> has said multiple times that he is not motivated by records. Equaling or bettering what others have done before is not what drives him; instead, achieving things that he has not personally achieved before are what most concerns him.<\/p>\n Sometimes, though, both of those things converge.<\/p>\n Following his solo win<\/a> in Sunday\u2019s Tour of Flanders<\/a>, Poga\u010dar is one week away from capturing the one monument that has eluded him thus far.<\/p>\n If he wins Paris-Roubaix<\/a>, he will tick off a race he avoided until last year, and which he lost due to an inopportune crash.<\/p>\n Fixing that stat and answering that challenge is important to him.<\/p>\n If he does it, though, the cards may well fall into place for something truly unique.<\/p>\n In recent years Poga\u010dar has been increasingly compared to Eddy Merckx<\/a>. Debates continue to rage about who is better. Merckx has achieved more than the Slovenian, at least thus far. He won over 500 races during his career, including five editions of both the Tour de France and Giro d\u2019Italia, as well as one Vuelta.<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar\u2019s tally thus far? Four Tours, one Giro. He\u2019s only 27 so it\u2019s likely he will rack up many more but, even if his current momentum continues, clocking up the same number of victories seems unlikely. The sport has moved on, the general level is much higher and racing programs are more selective.<\/p>\n But where the comparisons with Merckx are valid\u2014and where Poga\u010dar is arguably better\u2014is his level of dominance. He\u2019s winning races from further out and by bigger margins<\/a> than what the Belgian legend achieved, including his two successes at the world championships<\/p>\n He also achieved something unique last season, finishing on the podium of all five Monuments in the same season.<\/p>\n Not even Merckx did that.<\/p>\n Speaking of Monuments, the duo are the only riders in history to take three of those races in the same year.<\/p>\n If things go to plan in Roubaix, something far more spectacular could happen.<\/p>\n Speaking on the Eurosport TV coverage on Sunday, cycling legend Sean Kelly said that Roubaix is the hardest race to ride but the most satisfying to win.<\/p>\n Poga\u010dar would sure feel the same way if he were to triumph next weekend.<\/p>\n He\u2019s 66kg, lighter and smaller than Mathieu van der Poel, and far more suited to the high mountains than the cobbled flats.<\/p>\n He\u2019s won three editions of Flanders by virtue of the climbs, with ramps such as Oude Kwaremont enabling him to take advantage of his high power to weight ratio.<\/p>\n That benefit disappears on the far flatter parcours of Roubaix, shifting the balance back in favor of Van der Poel and making victory there all the more difficult to achieve.<\/p>\n Still, he\u2019s clearly in superb form and can\u2019t be ruled out. Three wins out of three races thus far this season underlines that.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t race too much, so when I race there is pressure to win,\u201d he explained on Sunday. \u201cSo far everything went perfect for me so I can be more than happy. Coming next week to Roubaix I can go motivated. I will try to enjoy the cobbles.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking prior to Flanders, he made clear that the race is indeed a major goal.<\/p>\n \u201cI like to race all the monuments. Now I won four out of five and have been second in Roubaix,\u201d he said, referring to career achievements. \u201cI definitely want to fight for the victory also in Roubaix.<\/p>\n \u201cI will try as long as I can and give my best to achieve this goal. It would be really good to have all five.\u201d<\/p>\n If Poga\u010dar is successful next weekend, he will join an exclusive club. Only three riders in the history of the sport have won Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge and Il Lombardia during their careers. They are Rick Van Looy, Roger de Vlaeminck and Merckx himself.<\/p>\n However if Poga\u010dar wins next Sunday, he will be in line for something altogether better. San Remo eluded him until this year, but he\u2019s ticked that off. Flanders has been achieved again. Winning Roubaix would give him three of the five this year, leaving just Li\u00e8ge and Il Lombardia to fall.<\/p>\n Neither of those are easy races but considering his status as the best climber in the peloton, and considering his history in both events, he will start each as the clear favorite.<\/p>\nTadej vs Eddy: the debate continues<\/h2>\n
\u2018When I race there is pressure to win\u2019<\/h2>\n
![\"Tadej](\"https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2269935035.jpg?width=3840&auto=webp&quality=75&fit=cover\"\/)
\u2018Next week is the really tough one\u2019<\/h2>\n
![\"Tadej](\"https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2269944230.jpg?width=3840&auto=webp&quality=75&fit=cover\"\/)