Pogačar: "I Sure Didn't Want Remco Back" — Slovenian's Post-Flanders Interview Reveals Evenepoel Respect and Roubaix Hunger
The dust had barely settled on the Oudenaarde cobblestones when Tadej Pogačar sat down for what proved to be one of the most revealing post-race interviews of the 2026 Spring Classics campaign. Fresh from his third Tour of Flanders victory, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader was in expansive form — candid about the threats he faced, generous in his assessment of Remco Evenepoel's Flanders debut, and characteristically direct about what comes next.
"I sure didn't want Remco back," Pogačar admitted with a grin when asked about the moment Evenepoel began closing the gap in the final 30 kilometres after making a long solo chase from the trailing group. "When you hear on the radio that he is coming back alone, you know the race is not over. Remco on a good day can time-trial across anything — cobbles, climbs, flat roads — and the speed he was carrying through those final sectors was incredible. I had to stay focused every second." It was a rare public acknowledgment from Pogačar that a rival had genuinely tested his concentration during what appeared on television to be a serene solo ride.
The mutual respect between cycling's two dominant stage racers — now fierce one-day Classics rivals after Evenepoel's audacious pivot into the cobbled heartland — has been a defining narrative of the 2026 spring. Pogačar's Flanders was won on raw power, his 690-watt Kwaremont attack dismantling the front group in a manner that evoked comparisons with the sport's greatest soloists. Evenepoel's race was won on tactical intelligence and extraordinary physical endurance, transforming what could have been an anonymous debut into a podium finish that announced him as a genuine cobbled Classics contender.
"The Big Five all raced today," Pogačar continued, referencing the quintet of himself, Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Mads Pedersen and Evenepoel that has electrified the 2026 Classics season. "When those five riders are all present in the same race, there is no room for error. Every second matters, every positioning decision matters. That is what makes these races so beautiful — and so exhausting." It was a telling choice of words from a rider whose rivals have noted looked visibly fatigued as he crossed the finish line.
Inevitably, the conversation turned to Paris-Roubaix. Pogačar has been open about his desire to complete the Monument Grand Slam — winning all five of cycling's most prestigious one-day races — a feat achieved by only three riders in the sport's history: Rik Van Looy, Roger De Vlaeminck and Eddy Merckx. Victory at Roubaix on April 12 would elevate him to that rarefied company. "I have said it before — winning Roubaix is more important to me this year than a fifth Tour," Pogačar said. "The Tour will come again. The chance to complete the Monuments, with this form, in this spring — that is something I cannot let pass."
The Slovenian also addressed the tactical adjustments required for the pavé of northern France. Where Flanders rewards explosive climbing, Roubaix demands sustained power on bone-jarring cobblestones, flawless bike handling in the chaos of a 200-rider peloton funnelling into narrow farm tracks, and the nerve to attack at the right moment across sectors like the Arenberg Forest and Carrefour de l'Arbre. "We have been preparing for Roubaix since December," Pogačar revealed. "The bike setup, the recon rides, the tyre testing — everything has been building towards next Sunday. Flanders was the dress rehearsal. Roubaix is the show."
Whether the dress rehearsal took too much out of the leading man is the question that will define the final week of the 2026 Spring Classics. Pogačar's confidence is undeniable, his form historic, and his motivation as clear as any rider's in the modern peloton. But the pavé of northern France has a long history of humbling even the most dominant favourites, and with Van der Poel, Van Aert, Pedersen and now Evenepoel all circling with their own Roubaix ambitions, the Slovenian will need every watt and every ounce of tactical acumen to add the cobblestone trophy to his collection.