Mathieu van der Poel is preparing for the Hell of the North and knows that on Sunday he will have to face Tadej Pogacar once again. "Are we the favorites? I don't think so. There are also other favorites who will clash on the pavé". The Dutchman had to surrender twice to the World Champion and at Roubaix he arrived with only one certainty: to give his all to win.

The Classics season is now in full swing and the Dutchman, former world champion, warns everyone that the most dangerous pairing is the one formed by Pogacar and Vermeersch. The duo, made up of the Slovenian and the Belgian, appeared very solid and their intention is to block any possible attack launched by Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen, before launching themselves towards the finish line.

"At Roubaix we will have the perfect scenario – Van der Poel said after a course reconnaissance - Because Jasper (Philipsen, ed.) is faster than Florian (Vermeersch, ed.). But obviously we must not forget that Florian is very strong. He could also easily break away on his own. We need to be careful not to find ourselves in such a situation".

Mathieu van der Poel spoke with the press yesterday afternoon ahead of Paris-Roubaix and as always appeared extremely calm and also cautious regarding the possible winner. "Are we underdogs? Not really - the Dutchman continued - Now there are more favorites than at the Tour of Flanders. At the Ronde in recent years it was clear that Pogacar was the best. Here, however, it's different".

In the finale of the E3 Saxo Classic, Van der Poel recorded his best ever value over 90 minutes with 446 watts. A figure that left many speechless. "That was certainly the correct value – Van der Poel commented, explaining the reason for sharing his race data – The data was verified otherwise I wouldn't have shared it. I just wanted to show how hard that race was. But it's obviously nice to see that my values continue to improve".

The Dutchman feels in excellent shape and, although he will have to contend with an incredible Pogacar, he is certain he has reached good condition. "I think my form is good. We still need to wait and see how it will be on race day, but Roubaix is a race that suits us very well as a team and myself".

Van der Poel believes this race suits him better than Flanders, particularly when facing the Slovenian champion. "If I had to make a comparison with Pogacar, perhaps yes, this race suits me better. I think the Ronde suits me very well, but I think Tadej has proven to be a great master in this type of race, so I hope to turn the tables at Paris-Roubaix".

Van der Poel would prefer to think more about himself, but in the press meeting, one of the central topics was once again the comparison with the Slovenian champion. "We've all seen it, Tadej is strong and tenacious and this is no exaggeration. I can't wait to face this challenge again. Roubaix, however, is a somewhat flatter race, there are no climbs. So, it should give me a bit more of an advantage. As I said, in past editions there have always been parts where the difference was made. I believe there are several riders who can win Roubaix, as indeed every year".

Everyone always looks at the pavé. But in the last edition the difference was made twice where there were no stones. "Last year it was a sudden decision; attacks were not planned in those road sections. Only a quick assessment of the race situation allows you to decide how to act. This is precisely the beauty of Roubaix: anything can happen at any moment".

For Van der Poel this is a truly special race and if he were to win on Sunday it would be his fourth consecutive victory. "It's one of the most beautiful races of the year, and we are certainly motivated to win it. How much luck does Roubaix require? A bit of luck is always needed. You can control a minimum, but you can't do anything if you have bad luck or simply if you don't have the right form. So, honestly, in recent years I've been lucky and I hope to be lucky this Sunday too".

The UCI has included the Grava system in the list of prohibited things. It's a system used by the Dutchman's rivals. "I can't say much about it, because I haven't tested it personally yet. I always use the same components as always, but I haven't read in detail the reason for the ban. Furthermore, I don't know if they should have used it or not, so I can't say anything".