The opinion of Johan Museeuw after Paris-Roubaix: “We must always be wary of the turn in which Pogacar has fallen”

If he had to settle for second place, Tadej Pogacar has shown that he can return to the northern hell to win him, to pin him to his record. And I hope he will come back to this test. Here, he loses the race with his outing of the turn. Perhaps it was confused by the two bikers who were in front of him. There may also be his lack of experience on this race, when he went very quickly, that he was forcing in this turn that I know well. I am not saying that it is dangerous, but it is always necessary to be wary of it, to be a little careful.

He was also preceded by a very solid Mathieu van der Poel. What he realizes, every season is huge! There, he won Paris-Roubaix for the third time in a row. The last to have succeeded in this hat -trick was Francesco Moser. And I want to say that it’s not over. He is only thirty years old, we feel that he keeps a huge desire to win, that he likes it. He wins a monument every season and I see him last in the bike still five to six years, maybe more. In Roubaix, he can match the record for four successes of Roger de Vlaeminck and Tom Boonen. And perhaps do better, like the turn of Flanders.

At the Belgian level, I found that Wout Van Aert was better on the turn of Flanders. He had a good race, but he gave the impression of not being 100 %. For him, facing Tadej Pogacar or Mathieu van der Poel, it will always be complicated. He has not yet managed to win the paved monument he dreams of, the round or Roubaix, but I fear that it is difficult for him to get there. Because, each passing year, it is a new opportunity to lose. And he doesn’t have a lot left. We also saw a very good Florian Vermeersch. It is not a surprise, he had already ranked second in Roubaix in the past. Here, he worked for Pogacar while finishing still good fifth. In the future, he can have ambitions in Roubaix.

van der poel still targeted (and touched!) By a deplorable gesture