Hinault makes his point (thanks to Pogacar): "At one moment, they called me an old fool"

It seems to be happening: Tadej Pogacar is going to Paris-Roubaix. The Slovenian from UAE Emirates-XRG would be the first reigning winner of the Tour de France in the Hell of the North since Greg LeMond in 1991. Bernard Hinault, a legend from that era, is cheering for Pogacar.

Hinault himself was not a fan of Paris-Roubaix, which he did manage to win once (1981). "I hate this race," he said after winning as reigning world champion. The Frenchman also said, "For anyone who can win the Tour de France, Paris-Roubaix is nonsense."

In 2025, Pogacar seems ready to take on Roubaix. "I did it back then because I was wearing the rainbow jersey and wanted to honor it. And who is the world champion now?" Hinault wonders aloud in Le Parisien. "If he gets it into his head that he can win Roubaix, there's no stopping him."

The Badger says, "If you can win the Tour of Flanders, you can also win Roubaix." "It's not about weight, but about skill on the cobblestones. And he has that. Pogacar is focused, as we saw in Milan-Sanremo." Hinault dismisses the danger of his participation. "A crash can happen at any moment. And who's to say he will crash? In the end, Pogacar is the one who decides. If he wants to ride Roubaix, they should let him do so."

At first, UAE Emirates-XRG, Pogacar's team, was not immediately a fan of his participation in Hell. The team opted for a program with the E3 Saxo Classic, Gent-Wevelgem, and then the Ardennes after the Tour of Flanders. By doing so, the team would minimize the risk of a crash towards the big goals later in the year (Tour, Vuelta, and World Championships) and thus maximize the chances. However, Pogacar wanted to go for Roubaix, which now seems like the plan.

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Hinault: "Pogacar is closest to Merckx and me"

Tour riders in Roubaix: it seems to revive old generations, thanks to Pogacar. "He is the closest to me and Eddy Merckx," says Hinault. "He attacks uphill and on the flat. He rides grand tours and classics. That's why we love him; he's a rider who attacks and tells himself, we'll see what happens."

"At one moment, I was called an old fool for saying that you can also win by attacking early in the race," says Hinault. "And that it was more enjoyable to watch. Pogacar is proving that cycling is now a game he enjoys. For others, it is more of a job; they overthink. Pogacar listens to no one; if he wants to add Roubaix to his list of achievements, he has to go for it."

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