Spring Classics

Pogacar's UAE Team Revealed for Flanders — "With Remco, You Never Know Where He Can Go"

CYCLING LOOKOUT • 4 APRIL 2026

Tadej Pogacar has confirmed his support roster for Sunday's Tour of Flanders and issued a candid warning about the tactical danger posed by Remco Evenepoel's shock debut at the Monument, saying the Belgian Olympic champion is unlike any rival he has faced in a cobbled Classic. Speaking at UAE Team Emirates-XRG's pre-race press conference on Saturday, the two-time defending champion acknowledged Evenepoel's capacity to attack anywhere on the course and stressed that he cannot be allowed even a handful of seconds of daylight.

"With Remco, you never know where he can go," Pogacar told reporters. "He can attack on the flattest section of the race and make a gap, and then it is almost impossible to bring him back because he is so fast. You can never let him go in front with a couple of seconds." The words carried the weight of genuine tactical concern rather than manufactured pre-race theatre — Evenepoel's combination of time trial power, punishing accelerations and sheer aerobic capacity makes him a fundamentally different kind of threat in a race that is traditionally dominated by pure cobbles specialists. Pogacar, who has a deeper understanding of his own strengths and limits than almost anyone in the peloton, appeared genuinely intrigued by the tactical puzzle Evenepoel's presence creates.

The UAE Team Emirates-XRG line-up Pogacar will lead into Antwerp on Sunday reads: Florian Vermeersch, Nils Politt, Mikkel Bjerg, Benoît Cosnefroy, Antonio Morgado, and Rui Oliveira. It is a team with a clear template — Vermeersch and Politt provide genuine Classics experience and cobble-reading ability, while Bjerg and Cosnefroy offer GC engine room for the climbs of the final loop. The squad is notably depleted compared to what UAE might have hoped to field, with Jhonatan Narváez among those missing through injury sustained during the spring campaign, but it remains a capable unit capable of supporting Pogacar through to the final 80 kilometres where the race will be decided.

Pogacar arrived in Flanders without having raced E3 Saxo Classic — a decision that raised eyebrows given Van der Poel's dominant hat-trick performance in Harelbeke — but his camp has consistently argued that skipping E3 to protect his condition is the right call when the goal is a third consecutive Ronde title. The world champion disputed any suggestion that his Milan-San Remo crash has left lingering physical effects, and his demeanour at Saturday's press conference was characteristically relaxed and confident. "I am very pleased to be going back to Flanders to defend the title," he said. "The way the whole team rode in Milan-San Remo was so impressive and if we can carry that into the next few weeks, I think we can achieve some great results."

UAE's tactical plan for Sunday is expected to follow the broad outlines of their approach at previous editions: let other teams lead the chase through the first half of the race and conserve Pogacar for the decisive passages over the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg. With four riders capable of surviving deep into the race, UAE can afford to attack repeatedly from the front group in the closing kilometres, placing rivals in the uncomfortable position of having to chase multiple threats simultaneously. That approach worked to devastating effect in 2024 and 2025, and there is no reason to believe Pogacar's team will deviate from it.

The Evenepoel wildcard, however, complicates matters in ways that neither Pogacar nor his directeurs sportifs can fully plan for. Evenepoel, who confirmed his Flanders debut only days ago after a covert December reconnaissance of the full course, represents the first time a pure all-rounder of his calibre has lined up at De Ronde in the modern era. Van der Poel, seeking a third consecutive title, has also publicly urged rivals not to underestimate Evenepoel, and Visma-Lease a Bike's Wout van Aert — who suffered heartbreaking defeat at Dwars door Vlaanderen four days ago — will be desperate to atone on Sunday. The field shaping up for Easter Sunday's Monument is arguably the most star-studded in the Ronde's history, and Pogacar knows that simply being the strongest rider will not be enough. He will need to read the race perfectly too.

When asked whether he could become only the eighth rider in history to win the Tour of Flanders three times — joining an illustrious list that includes Johan Museeuw, Eric Leman and Roger De Vlaeminck — Pogacar smiled. "Records are nice, but what I really want is to feel the same as the first time I won here. That feeling is what motivates me," he said. Whatever Sunday brings on the roads of Flanders, it will not be short of drama.

Pogacar's UAE Team Revealed for Flanders — "With Remco, You Never Know Where He Can Go"

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