VOTE: Is Tadej Pogacar the GOAT after Tour of Flanders masterclass? And will he win Paris-Roubaix on debut?

Another Monument, another masterclass. Tadej Pogacar crushed his rivals at the Tour of Flanders with a stunning solo attack to add another win to his already ridiculous palmares – and now he's being hailed as the "greatest who has ever lived". But do you agree? Is Pogacar already the GOAT? And will he go back-to-back at Paris-Roubaix next weekend to strengthen his case? Have your say in our vote.

Tadej Pogacar is "the greatest rider that has ever lived" after his stunning solo triumph at the Tour of Flanders, according to TNT Sports expert Adam Blythe – and probably thousands of cycling fans too.

Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) gradually wore down defending champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) with a flurry of attacks, before launching a decisive move on the Kwaremont with 18km to go.

Even then, it was far from a formality. With just 15 seconds on a quartet of heavyweight chasers, the race still hung in the balance. But as they faltered in collaboration, Pogacar powered away to seal his second win on the cobbles of Flanders.

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Victory took him to eight Monument wins – four at Il Lombardia, plus two apiece at Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Flanders – and further underlined his status as top dog in the men's peloton.

Pogacar is also a three-time Tour de France winner, the reigning Giro d’Italia champion, and claimed the world road race title last year too.

"If you can win Flanders, you are a cobbled Classics specialist," Blythe said on The Breakaway. "He's won it once already and he's done it again, in my opinion against some of the best ever racers on cobbles.

After another Flanders triumph, is Pogacar the GOAT?

Video credit: TNT Sports

"It's guaranteed that he's one of the best cobbled riders that has ever lived. But more than that, he's probably the greatest rider that has ever lived.

"What he can do [in the Classics] and winning the Tour de France in this era, it's unheard of. There's not one other bike rider who's even close to being like him in the peloton."

Asked if Pogacar was a "once-in-history" rider, Jens Voigt replied: "I would say very close to once. We had Bernard Hinault, we had Eddy Merckx. These legends are only born every so often, but I think we are really witnessing the GOAT of cycling."

Merckx dominated the sport in the 1960s and 70s, winning all three Grand Tours - including five yellow jerseys at the Tour - and sweeping the Monuments. Hinault is also a five-time Tour winner, with five Monument victories to his name.

Only Merckx (19), Roger De Vlaeminck (11), Costante Girardengo, Fausto Coppi and TNT Sports' own Sean Kelly (all on nine) have more Monument wins than Pogacar. But none have done it in modern times – Kelly was the most recent, winning his ninth at Milano-Sanremo in 1992.

What do you think? Is Pogacar really the GOAT – or does he still have more to prove? Cast your vote below.

Will Pogacar win Paris-Roubaix on debut?

Pogacar’s hunt for a ninth Monument now takes him to Paris-Roubaix for the first time next weekend. And such is his bulging palmares, it is now easier to talk about what is missing.

Paris-Roubaix, Milano-Sanremo and the Vuelta a Espana are all that remain among cycling’s biggest prizes - plus the small matter of an Olympic gold medal.

Despite his cobbled prowess, Roubaix could be the trickiest of those to accomplish. He won Flanders on the climbs - he will have to find a different strategy to win on the punishing pave out of Paris, which is famed for its high-speed chaos.

'I will accept the challenge' - Pogacar on looming Paris-Roubaix debut

Video credit: TNT Sports

"It's a completely different race," Pogacar said after winning in Flanders.

"But I will accept the challenge and try to do my best. I know Flanders suits me a bit better, but you never know. Roubaix is also a very hard race and I think with this shape I have now I should give it a try."

Will he do it? Vote in our second poll below.

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