Astana sports director dismisses the risk Pogacar is taking: "Two years ago he crashed in Liège too"

Last week, it was announced that Tadej Pogacar would be heading to northern France to try and win Paris-Roubaix. The announcement had been brewing for some time but was delayed because not everyone within the UAE Team Emirates XRG thought it a wise move—partly due to the high risk of crashes and injuries. Sports director Stefano Zanini of XDS Astana now shares his opinion with Bici.pro.

Zanini, who finished twice in the top five in the Hell of the North, does not think Paris-Roubaix is extremely dangerous. "Some cobblestone sections are in very rough condition, and that can, of course, be dangerous. But it's mainly down to the cyclists themselves; they ultimately cause the most danger when they ride without thinking. I don't believe Paris-Roubaix is necessarily more dangerous than other races."

"I hear from my riders that there are cyclists who take more risks than necessary," the Italian sports director continues. "In many situations, it is often enough just to take it easy, but you notice that all the riders want to be at the front, which ultimately causes accidents. If riders slow down a bit, you could prevent many crashes."

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Zanini along with his riders

"Sports directors are blamed for crashes, but I think that's nonsense"

Zanini notices that sports directors often get blamed for crashes, but he doesn't quite understand why. "Of course, as a sports director, we tell the riders that they should be at the front at the important moments. But in the end, all the sports directors say that, so it becomes a matter of getting to the front—and that's why you often see crashes. And then I often hear that we are to blame, and I don't accept that."

"In my time, we were also told to sit in front, and yet we crashed less then," continues the former winner of the Amstel Gold Race. "It's not that we didn't crash, but you see it more often now. I think there used to be more mutual respect in the peloton. But I can't say the exact reason why."

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Pogacar during his Paris-Roubaix recon

Zanini backs Gianetti and understands his concerns

Nevertheless, Zanini understands his colleague Gianetti even though he does not consider Paris-Roubaix extremely dangerous. "I know him. The risk of crashing is always present, of course. You also saw Pogacar crash in Liège two years ago, which did not help his preparation for the Tour. I understand that teams like the UAE are thinking more about protecting their riders."

And what does Zanini expect from his own team? With Cees Bol, Astana will have at least one Dutch rider with protected status in the Paris-Roubaix. "We will do our best to achieve a good result with Bol and Ballerini. The fact that Pogacar is participating could work out well for us. We can focus more on the key moments and hopefully try our luck."

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