Paris-Roubaix brings Tadej Pogačar vs Mathieu van der Poel round three in 2026, but who has the better supporting cast for the hellish pavé? – Analysis

If Tadej Pogačar’s stunning win at Milan-San Remo showed anything apart from his excellence, it was that even he – the best rider anyone has seen for 50 years – needs an elite team to win the hardest races.

The same was true of the Tour of Flanders, where his teammate Florian Vermeersch was vital to how early the race was blown to pieces, and in truth, Pogačar would not have got to his total of 12 Monuments as seemingly easily as he has without UAE Team Emirates-XRG having several of the best riders in the world in his support.