Faster than Van der Poel and Van Baarle: Pogacar blows records to pieces during Roubaix training

The news that Pogacar will participate in the Hell of the North has been out for a while. The rumors started to spread after his recon ride earlier this year, which he tried to laugh off. But after much speculation, the green light has finally been given: the world champion would like to join the battle for that coveted cobblestone on the roads of northern France. It will be the first time the rider from UAE Team Emirates - XRG will start in the Monument, even though his team would instead, he didn't.

It is not the first time he will ride on the cobblestones. Of course, he has already won the Tour of Flanders, but in the 2022 Tour de France, he already showed his best side on the cobblestones. He went all out and managed to gain time on his competitors, but every cyclist knows that Paris-Roubaix is different from a Tour stage, no matter how many cobblestone sections you include. Many experts are skeptical about his participation, but that won't bother Pogacar.

After his first recon ride, Pogi ventured out again on Wednesday on the roads he would have to face next Sunday. A 213-kilometer ride with enough cobblestone sections hidden in it was the perfect preparation. Because it wasn't just a matter of taking it easy, Pogacar pushed it, and the data on Strava is shocking. He took the KOM on Mons-en-Pévèle, the infamous five-star strip about 50 kilometers from the finish. He flew over it in 4:27 minutes. But he was also the fastest on the Auchy-lez-Orchies strip, a four-star strip: he was six seconds faster there than Dylan van Baarle when he was the best in 2022.

On the last five-star stretch, the Carrefour de l'Arbre, he was not the fastest, but he was only one second slower than Wout van Aert when he charged through there in 2023. The Belgian finished third that year, behind Mathieu van der Poel. Plenty of critics thought Pogacar would be too weak for Roubaix; some said he shouldn't take the risk. But he has silenced them all single-handedly. Mathieu van der Poel can sit tight because the Slovenian will only participate if he thinks he can win, and on Wednesday, he showed that it is indeed possible.