Tadej Pogacar's victory on Saturday at Milan–San-Remo places the Slovenian rider in a position to potentially win all five Monuments in a single season — a feat that no cyclist has ever accomplished.
Asked about the upcoming Flemish classics, the two-time world champion insisted he needed a bit of time to let his triumph in the Primavera — which had become his main obsession — fully sink in.
But the dream of an unprecedented Grand Slam, requiring victories at the Tour of Flanders on April 5, Paris–Roubaix the following Sunday, Liege–Bastogne–Liege on April 26, and finally the Tour of Lombardy on October 10, is alive.
"Pogi" has a real chance to pull off what even the great Eddy Merckx — one of only three riders, along with fellow Belgians Rik Van Looy and Roger De Vlaeminck, to have won all five major classics in their careers — never managed within a single year.
Pogacar has already won the Tour of Flanders, his next big race, twice. The Slovenian finds the steep, cobbled climbs of the Ronde perfect terrain for his physique.
He will be an even bigger favourite at Liege–Bastogne–Liege, which he has won three times, and at the Tour of Lombardy, where he has not lost in five participations.
That leaves Paris–Roubaix, the only Monument missing from his collection and now, after solving the Primavera puzzle, his great challenge.
TO ROUBAIX 'TO WIN'
"My form is good, and I'll go to the Tour of Flanders and Roubaix with a very strong team. We're going there to win both races," said the UAE leader after his epic victory on the line in San Remo, bloodied after a crash in the closing stages.
On paper, the Hell of the North — where the power riders rule — is off-limits for a climber such as Pogacar: in the 21st century, winners at the Roubaix Velodrome have weighed on average around 77 kg. He weighs ten kilos less.
But his second place last year, at his first attempt, showed that he was capable of shining on this terrain as well.
"He has a better chance of winning Roubaix than he had of winning Milan–San Remo," said Italian veteran Matteo Trentin, a former teammate and still Pogacar's training partner around Monaco.
Pogacar's main rival on the northern cobbles will be Mathieu van der Poel, winner of the last three editions. Between them the two have won the last ten Monuments. But the Dutchman's defeat on Saturday will have an impact.
On Sunday, Van der Poel replied to a Pogacar Instagram post with a simple goat emoji — shorthand for 'Greatest of All Time'.
'BEST OF ALL TIME'
Pogacar, who has pared his schedule down this season, seems more determined than ever.
"His mentality, the way he fought back after his crash to return to the front, is incredible," commented Tom Pidcock. "He's the best of all time, and he didn't need to do that, right? He's already won so much, and he was clearly suffering after the crash. But he kept fighting. Incredible."
Pogacar will arrive at Roubaix better prepared than last year, when he entered late after overcoming the reluctance within his team, worried about the risks of a crash.
After early reconnaissance of the route in December, he returned to the course in early March, after his Strade Bianche victory, for "two intense days" with his Belgian teammate Florian Vermeersch.
"We put a lot of effort this winter into preparing for Roubaix," Pogacar said Saturday evening — efforts he hopes will pay off on April 12 to complete his collection.
There will be time afterwards to think about the other major goals of the year: equalling the record of five Tour de France victories and claiming a third consecutive world champion title.