Everyone in the cycling world knows who the main targets are this weekend. Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel have dominated all the monuments the last years. Visma | Lease a Bike sports director Grischa Niermann is completely realistic about the massive challenge his team faces, but he also believes that the punishing nature of Paris-Roubaix changes the rules of the game. He expects a much tighter race than what we saw on the steep hills of the Tour of Flanders.
“Pogacar and Van der Poel are without a doubt the big favorites, but on this terrain, the gaps between the riders will be smaller than during the last classics,” Niermann explained.
Wout van Aert at the 2026 Tour of Flanders
Visma’s tactics for Paris-Roubaix
“Our strength lies in the collective,” the sports director continued. “Alongside Wout, Christophe Laporte and Per Strand Hagenes can play important roles in the outcome of the race. Winning Roubaix remains the great dream of the team.”
For the young Per Strand Hagenes, the team’s mission is incredibly clear. He knows his main job is to survive the early crashes and chaos, making sure he is still there when the race reaches its most critical moments. The Norwegian rider is fully confident in his team leader’s ability to match the speed of the other top favorites when the real attacks begin.
“My goal is to play a role in the finale to support Wout,” Hagenes added. “I think he can compete with the other favorites, he has shown some very good things in recent weeks. At Roubaix, the race often explodes from very far out now, so I am preparing for a long and exhausting battle,” the Norwegian concluded.