Matxin praises Van der Poel’s champion mentality and expects Pogacar to do the same at Paris-Roubaix

“It was a great race, a great performance, and he had great team-mates,” Matxin told In de Leiderstrui afterwards. The Spaniard still seemed amazed by what Pogačar continues to produce. After Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo, Pogačar also won the third race he entered in 2026.

“Tadej is abnormal, the most complete rider there is. And I think this Tour of Flanders was one of the most beautiful races of recent times,” said Matxin, pointing to the exceptional start list. “Head-to-head with Mathieu, Remco, Wout and Mads — the best names in the sport right now, in one of the biggest races on the calendar.”

According to Matxin, the presence of Mathieu van der Poel, Remco Evenepoel, Wout van Aert and Mads Pedersen — and the fact that, Pedersen aside, they were all riding at such a high level — made the race “historically beautiful”. “Because it was not necessarily about tactics,” he said. “It was about power and simply doing your job.”

After the Tour of Flanders, there were many questions about the turns Van der Poel took in the final, when he was away with Pogacar. Shouldn’t he have let the world champion do more of the work? Just like a proud father Adrie van der Poel and a level-headed Van der Poel himself, Matxin also shook his head at that question: “In my view, that’s exactly what shows the character of a champion.”

‘They always ride to win and do their turns. Tadej will do the same in Paris-Roubaix, even though Mathieu is faster,’ said the UAE boss, who knows that it will be harder to drop Van der Poel in Roubaix in a week’s time. ‘It’s a complicated race, without the natural selection of a Tour of Flanders. It’s all about positioning and surviving the crucial moments. It’s going to be tough.’

UAE Emirates-XRG will nevertheless devise a plan, just as it did on Sunday. Not relying solely on Pogacar’s legs. ‘We never think in terms of scenarios where we drop competitors, but rather in terms of what those competitors are capable of doing. That’s why we took control of the race, with Mikkel Bjerg leading for 150 kilometers. And then the others made a selection, and a natural selection took place among the big names.’

Bram van der Ploeg ( X: @BvdPloegg | email : [email protected])