Paris-Roubaix, Vuelta a España and 17 more: What’s left on Tadej Pogacar’s WorldTour scratchcard

When studying the empty spaces on Pogačar’s WorldTour ledger, Paris-Roubaix is one of two notable omissions. 

The last rider to win the Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix in the men’s peloton was Bernard Hinault, when the Badger ended a 25-year French drought in the Hell of the North, as world champion. 

Not only has Pogačar come close to joining the Tour-Roubaix winners' circle, but he also almost did so twice in the rainbow jersey. 

A victory for Pogačar would make him just the fourth rider to win all five Monuments, following in the footsteps of Rik Van Looy, Eddy Merckx and Roger De Vlaeminck.

On debut in 2025, Pogačar immediately made his mark, going clear with Mathieu van der Poel. The duo surged clear on the Mons en Pévèle sector before Pogačar misjudged a corner with 38km remaining, crashing into a verge. 

It was a costly moment, with Pogačar unable to reel in a rampant Van der Poel, who surged to his third consecutive victory, a feat last accomplished by Francesco Moser in 1980. Meanwhile, Pogačar had to settle for a valiant second place in his first attempt. 

This year, Pogačar returned with the bit between his teeth, having finally mastered Milan-Sanremo, before dominating an elite field to win the Tour of Flanders for the third time. 

After Van der Poel’s Arenberg disaster, where the Dutchman suffered two mechanicals and a slow bike change, Pogačar found himself in the key selection, free from the man who beat him twelve months prior. 

The then-world champion was the only rider to follow Wout van Aert’s powerful attack on the entry to sector 12 at Auchy-lez-Orchies with 54km to go.

Over the remaining cobbles on the run-in to the Roubaix Velodrome, Pogačar unloaded an onslaught of attacks, but Van Aert held firm and denied the Slovenian, winning an elusive cobbled Monument. 

For Pogačar, it was another second place at a race that continues to elude him, although the Slovenian was agonisingly closer than in 2025. 

But as he showed this year at Sanremo, the biggest races can only get away from Pogačar for a finite amount of time; such is the force of his magnetic field. 

Like Sanremo, Pogačar has never beaten around the bush when it comes to his desire to win on the Roubaix Velodrome, and his two near-misses will have only further fuelled his motivation to conquer the cobbles of Northern France. 

Speaking last month to Slovenian broadcaster RTV SLO, Pogačar outlined the first clear indication of his plans for 2027, but with no mention of the Classics.

“The goal for next year would obviously be the World Championships, combined with the Tour and the Vuelta,” Pogačar said. 

Where Paris-Roubaix fits into Pogačar and UAE’s plans for 2027 specifically remains to be seen, with the Slovenian still on the road to recovery following his season-ending crash at the Vuelta in August. 

One thing’s for certain: Pogačar will not rest until he is lifting a cobblestone high into the air in the middle of the Roubaix Velodrome at the end of a Sunday in Hell.

If Paris-Roubaix remains a career-defining obsession, the Vuelta a España is an open wound. Just eight male riders have won all three Grand Tours, with Jonas Vingegaard becoming the latest member of the exclusive club after his Giro triumph in May.

Pogačar outlined his ambition to join his eternal rival when he declared his return to the Spanish Grand Tour for the first time since 2019. 

Making his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta seven years ago at just 20 years of age, Pogačar stormed to three stages en route to the third step of the podium alongside compatriot Primož Roglič, who claimed the first of four Vuelta titles and world champion Alejandro Valverde. 

Just over a year later, Pogačar would become the youngest winner of the Tour de France in 110 years, just one day before his 22nd birthday, snatching yellow from Roglič in the iconic La Planche des Belles Filles time trial on the penultimate stage.

Pogačar would add another four editions of the Tour, as well as the Giro d'Italia in 2024, to his palmares before returning to Spain this August. 

The UAE star made the perfect start, winning the opening time trial on home roads in Monaco before crushing the competition with a 50km solo on stage 4 in Andorra to all but secure the red jersey already in the minds of most, leading Roglič by 3:21.

Pogačar would complete his hat-trick of victories just two days later, outdueling Enric Mas in a sprint on stage 6, after the Spaniard remarkably clawed his way back to the red jersey on the gravel roads of the Castelló de la Plana. 

On the descent of the climb, Pogačar narrowly avoided a crash, veering off the road but managing to keep the bike upright. A sharp reminder that things can change very quickly in a Grand Tour. 

Unfortunately for Pogačar, that harsh reality reared its head just another two days later when he was involved in a mass pile-up with 32km remaining of stage 8 on the run-in to Xeraco. 

Despite his best efforts to continue, Pogačar was forced to abandon the race, and a later diagnosis of a broken collarbone, concussion and C7 vertebral fracture put an abrupt end to his 2026 season.

On the road to recovery, a quick return to Spain with vengeance looks on the cards for Pogačar, even if it seems he would rather combine the Giro with his bid for a sixth yellow jersey next summer. 

"Even though I'd rather ride the Giro, I'll have to tick off the Vuelta at some point too. I think that will be the goal for next year," he said in the same interview with RTV SLO.

Out of the 12 one-week stage races on the WorldTour calendar, Pogačar has five to tick off. 

Firstly, Pogačar is missing just one of the “big seven” in the shape of Itzulia Basque Country. 

He made his debut in the Basque Country in his neo-pro season, finishing sixth overall, before returning two years later, when he won a stage en route to third overall behind Roglič and Vingegaard. 

The only other stage race missing that he has previously started is the Santos Tour Down Under. In fact, the Australian stage race marked Pogačar’s first ever WorldTour event back in 2019, where he finished 13th overall. 

Rumours have floated around a possible return to Australia in 2027, with race director Stuart O’Grady not hiding his desire to see the Slovenian star down under.

"Of course, I'm doing everything we can to get the likes of Tadej here," O'Grady told the Stanley St. Social podcast in October.

The three remaining stage races missing from Pogačar’s collection are the Tour de Pologne, Renewi Tour and Tour of Guangxi. The fact that he is yet to ride these races perhaps serves as an indication of where they realistically stand among his ambitions. 

Both the Tour de Pologne and Renewi Tour typically take place in August, between the finish of the Tour and the start of the Vuelta, meaning the scheduling doesn’t align with Pogačar’s primary ambitions. 

Meanwhile, the Tour of Guangxi marks the curtain-closer of the season in October, reducing its appeal to Pogačar and UAE at the end of an arduous campaign. 

Beyond Paris-Roubaix, there are still some more spring classics for Pogačar to add to his stunning collection. 

Although he has won the Tour of Flanders a record-equalling three times, the Slovenian hasn’t won any of the cobbled Classics in the holy week building blocks: Omloop Nieuwsblad, Ronde van Brugge, E3 Saxo Classic, In Flanders Fields, and Dwars door Vlaanderen. 

Omloop kicks off opening weekend, but Pogačar has typically favoured a season opener at the UAE Tour, which comes in close proximity at the end of February, or beginning his campaign at Strade Bianche. As a result, Pogačar is yet to make his debut at Omloop. 

It’s unsurprising that Pogačar has also never featured at the Ronde van Brugge, considering the race is usually won by a sprinter. 

Similarly, In Flanders Fields - From Middelkerke to Wevelgem gives more of a chance to the sprinters than the races that surround it, and could explain why Pogačar hasn’t featured there either.

The race that would likely appear most appealing for Pogačar is E3 Saxo Classic, considering its reputation as a Mini Tour of Flanders. 

Pogačar was a key protagonist in his only previous appearance at the race, finishing third in a three-man dash to the line in 2023 behind Van Aert and Van der Poel.

Additionally, Pogačar has had one previous foray at Dwars door Vlaanderen, finishing 10th in 2022, before his debut at the Tour of Flanders.

While some races hold WorldTour status, some naturally do not appeal to Pogačar or UAE. 

For example, Eschborn-Frankfurt, Copenhagen Sprint and ADAC Cyclassics are all races that suit the sprinters, and their positioning on the calendar clashes with Pogačar’s Tour or Vuelta preparations.

With a potential appearance on the cards at the Santos Tour Down Under next season, Pogačar could also potentially make a debut at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. 

While the race gives the sprinters a carrot to chase, there is enough challenging terrain in the final for Pogačar to make his mark if he chooses to race. 

There are also three WorldTour one-day races which Pogačar has started but has yet to taste victory in. 

Pogačar has made two appearances at the San Sebastián Classic, but has yet to nail the hills in the Basque Country, just like the stage race, abandoning the race on both occasions in 2019 and 2022. 

At the Bretagne Classic, Pogačar also abandoned on his debut in 2021, before finishing 89th in 2022. However, it has been a long time since Pogačar featured in either race.

Finally, Pogačar also remains without a victory at the GP Québec, a race he has featured at on three occasions in 2022, 2024, and 2025. 

It hasn’t been for lack of trying, with Pogačar launching a series of attacks on the punchy Canadian circuits, being caught in the final kilometre by the chasing pack in the 2024 edition, before taking his best result, 7th in the bunch sprint.