Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates‑XRG) has confirmed he will return to Milan‑San Remo and Paris‑Roubaix in 2026, calling himself “very motivated to try again,” while stating a bid for a fifth Tour de France remains his primary objective. Speaking in an interview with Marca from the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships in Abu Dhabi, he underlined that the two Monuments still missing from his palmarès are firmly on the agenda.
Completing San Remo and Roubaix would place Pogačar alongside Eddy Merckx, Roger De Vlaeminck and Rik Van Looy as the only riders to win all five Monuments. The historical frame is clear, and so is the competitive one. After finishing third at San Remo in 2025 behind Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin‑Deceuninck) and Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers), then second at Roubaix behind Van der Poel, the spring narrative writes itself. “It’s the biggest race of all,” Pogačar said of the Tour, as reported by Marca, “but San Remo and Roubaix are two races that I am very motivated to try again and fight for the victory.”
Those podiums followed a season in which Pogačar added a fourth Tour title, further underlining the scale of what he is juggling. To target Roubaix’s pavé and a July peak requires careful periodisation, equipment testing and repeated recons, plus a Classics‑ready support group, all while protecting altitude blocks and recovery windows for the Tour. UAE Team Emirates‑XRG will confirm his full program in mid‑December, but the balance of cobbled intensity and Grand Tour preparation is now the central puzzle.
For the fan lens, the rivalry with Van der Poel is an exciting narrative for the 2026 season. The Dutchman defended both San Remo and Roubaix in 2025, and his presence sets the tactical context for Pogačar’s second attempt at the Carrefour‑du‑l’Arbre and the Cipressa‑Poggio sequence.
All eyes now turn to UAE’s December calendar reveal and the early‑season cues that follow. If the spring goes to plan, Pogačar will carry a two‑front campaign into July with history in reach. As he put it: “I want to try everything.”
