An analyst's alarming thought: “It occurred to me that Pogacar was also training in Flanders for Roubaix”

Tuesday, 07 April 2026 at 07:56

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After the Tour of Flanders, Tadej Pogačar’s focus now shifts to Paris-Roubaix, the only Monument he has yet to win in his already glittering career. The Slovenian himself did not want to reveal too much in the post-race press conference in Oudenaarde, but former pro and analyst Tom Danielson believes Pogačar may also have been riding Sunday’s race with Roubaix in the back of his mind.

“The best Tadej appears to be born from his toughest moments,” said the American on X. "I can’t help but think the ‘scorch the earth’ strategy we saw today from UAE was driven by the pressure Visma put on him last year (and in previous years) in the Tour de France.”

“I think what we saw today is a bit representative of how he is going to approach the 2026 Tour de France: burn it all to the ground. While it undoubtedly works best for Tadej at his current level, there is a strong chance that something goes wrong,” Danielson warned.

“In the end, he stirred up a hornet’s nest with few team-mates left, many hectic kilometres still to race, and all the top riders in a small group with Pogačar as the clear target,” Danielson analysed. “In that scenario, it becomes easier for his rivals to race negatively against him and harder for Tadej to get help in case of a mechanical or a crash.”

“As a result, Tadej had to do more work in the group and produce more accelerations to get away. So he chose the hardest possible way to win this race, and that was clearly visible in his facial expressions on the final climbs. It’s frightening to think that the best rider in the world, in top form, chooses the path of most pain.”

Continue reading below the photo.

Danielson believes Pogacar rode with Roubaix in mind

Danielson also searched for an explanation behind that approach. “During the final 100 kilometres of the race, it occurred to me that Tadej might also have been training or preparing for Roubaix. He will surely need this strategy to beat MVDP on the cobbles,” he suggested.

“He literally did the most work, never skipped a turn on the flat, and raised the pace on every climb. Yes, he destroyed everyone that way, but he absolutely did not need to do that much work,” the American explained. “All of that effort and extra training, however, could well be part of his preparation for Roubaix. It is bizarre to think that Pogačar is this good, but it certainly seems possible.”

tom danielson

@tomdanielson

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The 2026 Tour of Flanders was amazing! These are the 9 takeaways I have after watching the race: 1. The best Tadej appears to be born from his toughest moments. I can't help but think the "scorch the earth" strategy we saw today from UAE was driven by the pressure Visma put

7:52 PM · Apr 5, 2026

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Tom van der Salm

Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!

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