Tadej Pogacar falls short in Paris-Roubaix thriller as Wout van Aert tramples on bid for Monument sweep - 'My legs were spaghetti'

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Tadej Pogacar's hunt for a complete set of Monuments goes on after he was bested by Wout van Aert in a dramatic edition of Paris-Roubaix on Sunday. The Slovenian was looking to become just the fourth man to win all of cycling's biggest one-day classics - and the first to hold all five at the same time - but was "cooked" by the time the Roubaix velodrome showdown with Van Aert arrived.

Tadej Pogacar rids himself of the accumalated grime after a brutal Paris-Roubaix.

Image credit: Getty Images

Tadej Pogacar said his legs were "like spaghetti" after falling short in his bid to complete cycling's full set of Monuments at Paris-Roubaix.

Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) fought back brilliantly from an early puncture and three bike changes to reach the Roubaix velodrome alongside Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike).

But the Slovenian had nothing left to stop Van Aert, who unleashed a long sprint to end a six-year wait for a second Monument.

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His lips caked in dust and grit, Pogacar praised his rival while admitting the damage had already been done earlier in the race.

”I think most people today had a lot of problems with punctures," he said. "I had three punctures today and three bike changes. It was not ideal, but I had a super strong team to bring me back just before the Arenberg.

"But then I was already a little bit cooked. When I was with Wout, there was not much freshness in the legs to have a chance to drop him on the cobbles. I saw quite fast that it was going to be mission impossible. I did my best in the sprint, but he won on the Champs-Elysees [at the Tour de France] and so it was hard to beat him."

'He is rattled!' - Pogacar punctures in Paris-Roubaix chaos, forced onto neutral bike

Video credit: TNT Sports

Van Aert also recovered from a puncture - though lost less time - while defending champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) saw his race unravel after a double mechanical on the Trouee d'Arenberg.

Victory would have seen Pogacar make yet more history. Having already won Milano-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders this spring, he had the chance to hold all five Monuments at once - something no rider has ever done.

He tried to break Van Aert on the brutal five-star Carrefour de l'Arbre sector but could not shake him.

"When he first attacked [with 54km to go], I still believed that I could counter-attack him at some point," Pogacar continued.

"But he rode super smart afterwards. We shared the work quite well but the Carrefour is really hard, and the wind is also in the face.

"I just couldn’t... I knew from there that it was going to be 99% impossible. I still hoped but, when I started the sprint, my legs were just like spaghetti."

Pogacar was also chasing a place alongside Rik Van Looy, Eddy Merckx and Roger De Vlaeminck as one of only four riders to win all five Monuments.

Asked if he will return for another assault on the French cobbles, he said: "I cannot say no. Right now, it seems the hardest [to win].

"Two weeks ago I would say Sanremo, but having finished second again here, I would say this is [the hardest race to win]. Let’s give it some time and we will see."

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