<Johan Vansummeren enters the chat>
Right now, depending on where you look, it calls for showers in the morning, and fairly windy, but I don't put much stock in weather forecasts this far out.
That’s still more viable chance at Roubaix than at RvV I think. But for both races the favorites teams rider harder in the earlier stages of the races and attacks from the biggest favorites come earlier, while Pogacar and MVDP are typically a level above their competition.
- May 27, 2022
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Don't get me wrong, it's a great day of racing, but 9 times out of 10 the race gets decided on the last ascent of Oude Kwaremont, and it ends up in one's and two's. With the old route, it suited many different riders and there were always different race dynamics, solo wins, small groups and even reduced sprints, realistically only 2 riders can win on Saturday on this new course, as it's so hard.
And I'm a sucker for Mur deciding the race, such an iconic climb and image.
I get what you are saying but I have the impression Pogacar would just kill everyone with 70-100 km to go in the old route. The old route was more demanding before the last 55 km meanwhile this new route is very difficult in the last 55 km. For some reason, we had 80-100 riders reached together the bottom of Kwaremont (2nd time).
And ask Pogacar. Realistically the best can ride at a tempo that stresses breakmates well beyond hurting themselves and adjust to keep/grow a gap. Meanwhile; monitoring the chasing contingent team motivations. I'd tow a mediocre sprinter quite a ways if their team is doing patrol work for the break then dump everyone on the best terrain for the job. Long races require more than one culling session but the studs will always save a finish if a limpet stays attached.
Pogacar is good at cleaning limpets.
- May 3, 2010
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The weather will be the same like every year: rain on Saturday; dry on Sunday. There are cycling laws to be respected.
It’s probably an oversimplification but in broad terms it’s said that the difference between the Boonen/Cancellara era and the MVDP/Pogacar era is that back then they used to ride hard to the entry on the bergs then block the road to prevent attacks to then attack at the top to cause splits whereas now the bergs are used from bottom to top to brutalise the race and create solo attacks rather than team attacks.
- May 27, 2022
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We had a wet RVV in 2024 and it was rubbish IMO. Basically only two riders were able to ride up the Koppenberg without walking and the race was over, it wasn't a bike race.
A wet Paris Roubaix is what I want.
A wet race just gives Teddy more chances of winning the race (in RVV).
- Feb 24, 2015
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Why? I'd say it would favor MVDP and WVA. You have to be careful everywhere so power relative to technique changes.
I think you also need to push more watts (per kilo otherwise you go slow) because cobbles are slippery. And that's Pogacar's main weapon. The ability to put more w/kg than both Wout and MVP
- Sep 12, 2022
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Indeed. When MVDP won in 2024, and was able to ride to the top of Koppenberg, that wasn't only because of power. It's the combination of power and technique. A wet RVV makes the race harder which is better for Pogacar, but he will struggle more compared to MVDP/WVA on wet cobbles. They have to put in less effort for the same result.
- Jul 7, 2013
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Wet & cold is good for Pog on hard mountain stages (when his rivals are petite climbers) but cobbles is a different world. Plus Van der Poel and Van Aert are also good in poor weather, that's what they've been doing for 2 decades in CX races.
I'm just wishing for a wet race now. I love when people underestimate Pogacar. MVP this, MVP that, he is unbeatable here, he is unbeatable there, until... he gets punched in the face by Pogacar, just like in RVV 2023, RVV 2025 and more recently MSR 2026 (where I also doubted Pogacar would be able to drop MVP).
- Sep 12, 2022
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RVV 2023 - Fair win
RVV 2025 - MVDP was sick beforehand and crashed during the stage
MSR 2026 - MVDP crashed harder
Nice of Pogacar to punch MVDP in the face when he's already down.
- Feb 24, 2015
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I'm also wishing for wet races, both at RVV and at P-R. Then technique becomes a decisive factor. We'll see how good Pog is. I'm pretty sure he's good but is he that good? Then also the surprise factor. Anyone can make a mistake and that makes a race more interesting in my view. MVDP in Glasgow, Pog at Strade Bianche, WVA at RVV etc
Simple to forecast winner, Pogi wins in odd years, MVDP wins in even years.
Tailwind expected in the last part of the race.
www.idlprocycling.com
Tour of Flanders 2026 | Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert arrive on Easter Sunday in peak condition
The first Sunday of April is circled in red all across Flanders. Not so much because of Easter, but because it is time for the Tour of Flanders. On and around the Flemish cobbles, between Antwerp an...
www.idlprocycling.com
- Jul 24, 2025
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I think less weight normally means more difficulty applying power on wet cobbles. Plus, obviously, WVA and MVDP have more technique and experience.
Anyway, I don’t think it would change the outcome. The only thing I’d be even more worried about is Poga crashing, so I’m really hoping for a dry race 😂
Anyway, I don’t think it would change the outcome. The only thing I’d be even more worried about is Poga crashing, so I’m really hoping for a dry race 😂
Technique is overrated in road racing (I'm not saying it's not important at all) and no, it's not a decisive factor. The decisive factor is and will always be the relative power.
A wet road increases the chance of crashes however, I have been seeing multiple rainy races where Pogacar just crushes his competition by astronomical gaps. And this happens more times than the opposite (more exciting due to a increase chance of crashes and other misfortunes).
In fact, I don't remember Pogacar crashing on wet roads.
But in dry conditions, he already crashed multiple times.
- Sep 12, 2022
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Because there is a huge discrepancy between number of days they ride on dry/wet roads
- Mar 19, 2009
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May I remind you of the FW demolition last year. OK, not cobbles, but also not a hard mountain stage.
While he may relatively have less of and advantage (or none who knows) to CX racers, I think it's clear that he is one of the riders who benefit relative a lot to the competition from poor weather.
- Jul 7, 2013
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He does profit also on hilly courses but cobbles also have some technical aspect (I think heavier cyclists have it easier to maintain traction). Plus obviously in general specialists in northern classics (and CX guys) should respond to bad weather conditions better than Adrennes classics/stage-races specialists.
"Crashed harder" is such a BS thing to say. We have absolutely no way of figuring out who was affected more during the crash
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