Motivation is high and pressure is low': Pogačar relaxed ahead of Paris-Roubaix

UAE Team Emirates-XRG announced its Paris-Roubaix squad around Tadej Pogačar on Thursday morning via its website. The Slovenian will once again hunt for the only Monument still missing from his palmarès. He will be supported by, among others, Nils Politt and Florian Vermeersch.

In 2025, Pogačar made his debut at Paris-Roubaix. The debutant was able to stay with eventual winner Mathieu van der Poel for a long time, but finished runner-up to the Dutchman, partly due to a crash. The world champion returns the French cobbles to take his revenge.

The Slovenian will undoubtedly be hugely motivated. Following his Milan-Sanremo victory, The Hell of the North is the only Monument still missing from his palmarès. A win on the Vélodrome would place the four-time Tour winner alongside an illustrious group including Eddy Merckx, Roger De Vlaeminck and Rik Van Looy.

Pogačar has won every race he has started this season. He won Strade Bianche, Milan-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders in succession. So morale is certainly not an issue. 'It is no secret that Paris-Roubaix is one of my biggest goals in this part of the season. So far everything has gone perfectly, so motivation is high and pressure is low,' the Slovenian said on the UAE website.

The UAE rider wants above all to enjoy the cobbled classic. 'I am looking forward to a great race weekend, regardless of the final result.'

Despite holding the undisputed team leadership, he also sees opportunities for his teammates. 'We have an incredibly strong team with guys who have stood on the podium themselves before. I am not the only one who can ride to a good result.'

The his team is stacked is no exaggeration. Pogačar can count on the services of Florian Vermeersch, among others. The Belgian has emerged as one of the spring's strongest riders and is also an experienced Roubaix specialist.

In 2021, the Belgian — then riding for Lotto Soudal — finished second. He beat a certain Mathieu van der Poel in the process, who has only been defeated a handful of times since.

Florian Vermeersch is not the only UAE lieutenant who could potentially be there deep into the finale, however. The same can be expected of Nils Politt. Like his Belgian teammate, the German has also finished second in the French Monument. In 2019, Politt was beaten in a sprint by Philippe Gilbert.

UAE will also rely on the services of powerhouse Mikkel Bjerg, Juan Sebastián Molano and the Portuguese duo Rui Oliveira and António Morgado. With these seven names, UAE will try to keep Van der Poel from claiming his fourth consecutive Roubaix victory. Although the team is also keeping a close eye on the likes of Mads Pedersen, Wout van Aert and Filippo Ganna.