Pogačar lieutenants warn about "key point in the race every year" at Paris-Roubaix

Can he pull it off, or will it slip through his fingers? A victory in Paris-Roubaix would see Tadej Pogačar tick off all five Monuments. On Sunday, the Slovenian world champion will be supported by, among others, man in form Florian Vermeersch and lieutenant Nils Politt. IDL Pro Cycling spoke to both men the day before the start.

A relaxed-looking Politt said "pretty okay" when we asked him how his season had gone so far. "I've been a bit unlucky in the Classics recently. So far so good, and tomorrow one of the biggest races on the calendar is on the programme," the German said.

For Pogačar, Sunday could be one of the most important race days of his extraordinarily successful career so far. It will be his second Paris-Roubaix, while Politt has ridden it many times before. "I've been here plenty of times and I've also been on the podium and finished in the top ten. Roubaix always has something special about it. You never know what can happen. There could be a crash, you could puncture at the worst possible moment."

And so the game plan sounded fairly simple: "You have to be focused from the start, from the very first sector. From there, it's full gas to the finish." And then hope that Pogačar can shake off Mathieu van der Poel, among others.

The German had certainly noticed an eager team leader. "He looks good, as we saw. He started three races and won all three, so he's definitely in excellent shape."

Pogačar can also count on Florian Vermeersch, who has been in outstanding form this spring. The Belgian told IDL Pro Cycling, among others, that his team leader is just as motivated for Roubaix as before his Milan-Sanremo victory. "Yes and no. All the reconnaissance was done during the winter and even before that. It was already an enormous goal before he won Milan-Sanremo."

"But of course there is a bit of extra pressure now. Fortunately, that pressure isn't on me," he laughed. He rated his team leader's chances of winning highly. "When I see the form he's in. But of course, if there's one race on the calendar where so much can happen and so much bad luck is involved, it's Roubaix," said the former runner-up at The Hell of the North.

According to Vermeersch, it will come down to delivering Pogačar into the best possible position for the finale. "Creating a situation where he can fight for the win — that's the most important thing." Yet the Belgian also acknowledged that Paris-Roubaix might be the hardest race in which to beat Mathieu van der Poel. "I can see that," he admitted.

Vermeersch explained further. "On flat cobbles, it's harder to ride someone off your wheel. Someone like Mathieu, with so many qualities — that's perhaps the most difficult challenge, yes. There are no uphill sections here. It's all about absolute power. That's why I think it's crucial to make it a hard race. We need to arrive in the finale with as much fatigue in everyone's legs as possible."

And that could make the sector just before the Arenberg Forest a decisive point. "That is a key moment in the race every year, where positioning is crucial. Last year the race was blown apart there too, and the riders who were on the wrong side of the split never got back into the race. I think that could well be the case again this year," he warned.

Could there ultimately be a result in it for Vermeersch himself? "If I need to help Tadej and sacrifice my own chances of a podium in the process, I won't say no. The Tour of Flanders showed that once I've done my job and find my legs again, I can still ride to a result. I'm hoping for a bit of that tomorrow too."