Boogerd doesn’t believe much in a Pogacar–Del Toro deal and eagerly awaits Mathieu van der Poel's return

In Canada, we recently saw Pogacar give away a WorldTour classic to his UAE Emirates–XRG teammate Brandon McNulty at the GP Montréal. That raises the big question heading into Il Lombardia: what if a UAE teammate can follow him in northern Italy? What will Pogacar do? After four straight wins in Lombardy, would he hand the fifth to someone else?

Boogerd doesn’t think so, judging by his cycling instincts. “I can’t imagine him giving it to anyone else, because he can achieve a unique fifth consecutive victory,” said the Dutchman about Pogacar’s potential record-tying fifth win in Lombardy. That would equal the five victories of legend Fausto Coppi.

Boogerd already has Pogacar marked down as the winner for Saturday—because who else? The world champion is so far ahead that he could even win on an off day. “It might not be the most exciting thing to watch, but it’s not his fault that he’s head and shoulders above everyone else. You’re not going to just sit back to make it more entertaining for the viewers if that means risking a loss.”

That’s why Boogerd expects another solo victory. “Pogacar is simply a winner, and he does it his way. I can actually appreciate the beauty in that. And if he weren’t there, it would be Remco Evenepoel leaving everyone else without a chance. First you have Pogacar, who’s miles ahead, and then Evenepoel, who’s miles ahead of the rest of the field.”

Anyone who wants to see Pogacar truly challenged again will probably have to wait until the spring of 2026. “The only man who’s really been able to go toe-to-toe with Pogacar is our own Mathieu van der Poel. During Milan–San Remo and Paris–Roubaix, Pogacar had to genuinely admit defeat to him in a one-day race.”