Mathieu van der Poel thinks it’s inevitable that Tadej Pogačar will someday triumph at Paris-Roubaix and add one other Monument title to his quickly rising trophy cupboard.
Van der Poel has gained the final two editions of the Hell of the North however feels Pogačar can be greater than able to getting the higher of each him and his fellow Classics stars on the Roubaix cobblestones.
Pogačar is just not using the third race subsequent yr, however it’s thought he’ll make an try on the pavé in some unspecified time in the future in his profession.
“He’ll for certain strive it as soon as,” Van der Poel stated at his Alpecin-Deceuninck coaching camp earlier this month. “Perhaps not subsequent yr however for certain I believe he’ll attempt to win it in some unspecified time in the future.”
“For certain,” he added when requested if Pogačar may very well be the primary man over the road within the Vélodrome André-Pétrieux. “He already confirmed within the Tour stage we did on the cobbles as soon as that he was actually robust so I don’t assume it will be a shock to anybody [if he won]. He can be one of many favourites in Roubaix if he went.”
“Tadej is sort of particular, after all. Though should you see the Monuments it’s usually the identical winners, solely San Remo is a little more various. However it’s undoubtedly not straightforward to win these types of races.”
In between waiting for the brand new season, Van der Poel joked that he was profiting from the time he had left within the mid-December solar earlier than heading again to northern Europe to compete within the 11 eleven cyclocross races at present pencilled into his winter program.
The previous highway world champion stated that when he heads again to Belgium most of his coaching will characteristic prolonged durations spent on Zwift.
“I was far more on Zwift however I spend lots of time in Spain now,” he stated. “Through the winter once I’m in Belgium I’m using nearly day by day on Zwift to be trustworthy. I favor to leap on that than to exit within the unhealthy climate and particularly with cyclocross it’s a good mixture.
“You are able to do cyclocross coaching within the afternoon after which an hour on there and it’s a good mixture. However down right here in Spain you don’t want it usually.”
