'He'll be back' - Pogacar will return to Paris-Roubaix, but maybe not in 2027

After finally ticking Milan-Sanremo off his bucket list of Monument wins last month, Tadej Pogačar suggested he might never return to the race that had proven so maddeningly elusive over the years. “If I come back to Sanremo it will only be to eat focaccia,” he said then.

The culinary theme continued at Paris-Roubaix on Sunday, where Pogačar admitted he had legs “just like spaghetti” in the velodrome, where he was beaten in a two-up sprint by Wout van Aert. Unlike at Sanremo, however, that result means Pogačar is doomed to keep returning to the Hell of the North until he wins it.

“It’s good news for the public, he’ll be back,” UAE Team Emirates-XRG manager Mauro Gianetti confirmed to L’Équipe.

Pogačar has now placed second in each of his two appearances at Paris-Roubaix. Twelve months, when he was the first reigning Tour de France champion to ride since Greg LeMond in 1991, his presence was a novelty. This time out, he lined up as the favourite alongside defending champion Mathieu van der Poel.

A year ago, Pogačar ran Van der Poel close, but his challenge was dented when he crashed with 38km to go. This time, the world champion recovered from two punctures to make the winning move, but he couldn’t shake off Van Aert on the Carrefour de l’Arbre, and he was soundly beaten in the sprint.

Gianetti preferred to focus on the positives from Pogačar’s first two attempts at the race.

“He has an incredible level,” Gianetti said. “We saw last year that he went close. This year he went even closer. That means that he can win it, but it’s not easy.”

One of the difficulties has been striking a balance between Pogačar’s ambitions across a variety of terrains. Although he is chasing a record-equalling fifth Tour de France victory in July, Pogačar’s calendar doesn’t feature a stage race until late April, when he lines up at the Tour de Romandie. 

Instead, the early part of 2026 has been devoted entirely to one-day racing. Paris-Roubaix was just the fourth race day of Pogačar’s season after his wins at Strade Bianche, Milan-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders. 

It remains to be seen if he will be able to follow this kind of programme every year. In 2024, after all, Pogačar missed the cobbles altogether in order to focus on his successful tilt at the Giro-Tour double.

Pogačar confirmed on Sunday that he will return to Paris-Roubaix, but he was  reluctant to commit to racing it again in 2027. It’s simply too soon to say.

“Maybe not next year,” Pogačar said, according to L’Équipe. “I hope I’ve got a few years left in me, so I’ll try my luck again. I can’t wait.”