Van der Poel primed for Pogacar duel at Roubaix - 'But you have to adapt to any situation'

The Slovenian dropped Van der Poel on the Oude Kwaremont a week ago to win the Tour of Flanders, and he is seeking to complete a full set of Monument victories at the Hell of the North.

Pogačar’s overwhelming strength, which has also carried him to wins at Strade Bianche and Milan-Sanremo this year, makes him an obvious candidate to win in the Roubaix velodrome. 

“I think he showed enough times already that he’s really strong and he’s really strong on cobbles as well,” Van der Poel told CyclingPro.net. “But we look forward to it with the team.”

On his debut twelve months ago, Pogačar lost out on victory when he crashed with 38km to go, ultimately finishing second behind Van der Poel, whose greater experience on the pavé might again prove the difference.

“I think Roubaix is a race where it’s very difficult to say what the scenario will be,” Van der Poel sad. “You just have to be able to adapt to any situation with the cobblestones, more than in other races. It’s always exciting to come back here.”

Van der Poel downplayed the idea that Paris-Roubaix will, like a year ago, boil down to a duel against Pogačar. His old sparring partner Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) will also be in the mix, while Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Filippo Ganna (Ineos) will also set out with ambition.

“It’s not just the two of us,” Van der Poel said. “It’s going to be a very difficult race, and you need to have a bit of luck with your material.”

Van der Poel fell short at Milan-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders, but he has already enjoyed Classics success this year, soloing to victory at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and hanging on to claim a dramatic E3 Saxo Classic win.

“I cannot complain with the shape, it’s going very well,” Van der Poel said. “You need a little bit of luck to win a race like Roubaix, but I think the shape is there to try to go for a fourth one.”

A year ago, the race ignited even before the Trouée d’Arenberg, and Van der Poel reckoned that the final again could start very, very early on Sunday.

“It’s possible, especially with the new sectors they’ve put in. They’re hard,” said Van der Poel, who will be joined by Jasper Philipsen in a strong Alpecin-Premier Tech squad. “Like always, you need to avoid problems before Arenberg and be at the front.”