In good news for sports broadcasters, this Sunday marks a rare day in the cycling season which is unlikely to see a dramatic fall-off in views somewhere between 50 and 100km from the finish line. Because this is Paris-Roubaix – and rather than dropping all his rivals and casually soloing away to victory as normal, with exhausted observers switching off in the face of the inevitable, here Tadej Pogacar has a real fight on his hands.
Perhaps saying that out loud will guarantee another romp to victory for the 21st-century Cannibal. But Paris-Roubaix is now the only Monument – one of cycling’s five most prestigious one-day Classics – the double world champion and five-time Grand Tour winner is yet to win, and it remains the toughest race on his calendar.
