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Tadej Pogačar will defy convention and race Paris-Roubaix this year.
UAE Emirates-XRG officials confirmed the reigning world champion will race across the punishing pavé next month for the first time in his career.
“It was initially planned for Tadej Pogačar to participate in both the E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem. However, after discussions with the team, it has been decided that he will adjust his calendar to focus on the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix instead, aiming for peak form in those iconic races,” a team note stated.
More to come …
EARLIER: Pogačar is shaking up his spring classics calendar, and rumors that he might race Paris-Roubaix are hitting the boiling point.
The world champion has been officially scratched from the E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem this weekend, further fueling speculation that the Slovenian superstar will debut at Roubaix next month.
The 26-year-old world champion’s name was removed from E3’s provisional start list on Tuesday night, and sources confirmed to Belgian media that he will also skip Gent-Wevelgem.
While UAE Emirates-XRG is holding off on an official announcement, the implications could mean that Pogačar appears to be clearing a pathway to start the “Hell of the North.”
Also read: Will Pogačar race Paris-Roubaix?
The move, however, eliminates what would have been the first clash between Pogačar, Wout van Aert, and Mathieu van der Poel at Friday’s E3 Saxo Classic, often dubbed the “mini Tour of Flanders.”
“We will have to wait and see what the removal of Pogačar’s name from the provisional list actually means,” race organizer Jacques Coussens told Het Laatste Nieuws. “But we are very happy that all the other top riders, such as Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel, will definitely be at the start.”
As of Wednesday morning, there is still no official word from UAE Emirates-XRG officials.
Pogačar shakes up his spring calendar
Pogačar — who lit up Strade Bianche and scorched Milan-San Remo — may simply be recalibrating his approach into April’s major monuments that also includes a run across the Ardennes classics as well.
But his withdrawal from these two Flemish races has only poured gasoline on the Roubaix hype.
The Paris-Roubaix plotline has been brewing for weeks. The Slovenian dropped a bombshell in February by posting a video of himself reconning the cobblestones of northern France, a move that set social media ablaze.
Also read: Here are the key changes to the Paris-Roubaix route
Paris-Roubaix is one of the few missing gems in Pogačar’s crown.
The thinking is that if he’s going to race Roubaix for the first time, he will want to be as fresh as possible coming out of Flanders the previous weekend. The hard efforts at Milan-San Remo and a crash recovery from Strade Bianche could also be factors.
UAE Emirates-XRG told Spanish media last week that a decision on Roubaix has already been taken, but has yet to be publicly revealed.
