This Saturday, Tadej Pogacar revealed his main objectives for the year 2026 during a press conference in Benidorm, southeast of Spain. The Slovenian is aiming for a fifth triumph in the Tour de France and above all a first victory over Paris-Roubaix and Milan-Sanremo.
“I’m going to do the Strade Bianche, Milan-Sanremo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Tour de Romandie, the Tour de Suisse and the Tour de France. And then we’ll see, it’s already not bad,” said the 27-year-old runner. He could then apply for a third consecutive world title in September in Montreal.
Paris-Roubaix rather than the Grande Boucle
The fifth Great Loop or the Hell of the North, the Slovenian has established a hierarchy. “If I could choose between a victory in Roubaix and on the Tour, I would choose Roubaix because I have already won the Tour four times. There is a bigger difference between 0 and 1 than between 4 and 5,” added the UAE leader who is due to start his season at Strade Bianche on March 8.
The Slovenian wants to win Paris-Roubaix and Milan-Sanremo, the last two Monuments which are missing from his formidable record. Last Wednesday, he took to the cobbles of Roubaix, where he took a sensational second place behind Mathieu Van der Poel on his first participation in April.
He could also tie a Tour de France record. With a fifth victory on the Grande Boucle next July, he would return to the level of Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain and Jacques Anquetil.
Isaac del Toro will accompany Tadej Pogacar on the Tour
Among the seven riders who will accompany him on the Grande Boucle in 2026 is the great Mexican hope Isaac del Toro, second in the Giro this year. He will make his debut on the Grande Boucle. “The team’s idea is that I learn as much as possible alongside Tadej, whose level I want to reach one day,” said the 22-year-old runner.
The Portuguese Joao Almeida, second in the last Tour of Spain, will not be there and will be the leader of the team in the Giro and the Vuelta. “It’s good to change and anyway, Tadej doesn’t need me to win the Tour,” he said. For his part, Tadej Pogacar did not mention participation in the Tour of Spain.
