“Pogacar needs to learn to hit the abort button”: Chris Horner explains why “advanced tactics” are the key to unlocking Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix.

After a historic 2025 campaign, Tadej Pogačar sits alone at the pinnacle of professional cycling. The Slovenian claimed a fourth Tour de France, successfully defended his world championship Rainbow Jersey in Rwanda, and once again triumphed at Il Lombardia. Yet even amid such overwhelming success, two major prizes remain elusive: Milan–San Remo and Paris–Roubaix.

 

Speaking on the Beyond the Coverage podcast, former Tour de France winner Chris Horner acknowledged Pogačar’s supremacy but argued that completing cycling’s ultimate résumé will demand a further step forward in tactical discipline.

Horner reiterated his belief that Pogačar is the modern heir to Eddy Merckx, while noting the benchmarks that still separate the two. Merckx won all five Monuments and captured the Tour de France five times, whereas Pogačar currently sits on four overall victories. For Horner, that makes the objective for 2026 straightforward: another Tour win would draw Pogačar level with Merckx on yellow jerseys.

However, Horner stressed that a fifth Tour alone would not elevate Pogačar’s legacy beyond what he achieved in 2024 and 2025. July may remain the cornerstone of the season, but simply repeating success would not make the year exceptional. To truly redefine his standing, Horner argued, Pogačar must target the two Monuments missing from his palmarès.

According to Horner, Pogačar does not need further victories at Strade Bianche, the Tour of Flanders, or Liège–Bastogne–Liège to enhance his reputation. What would make the 2026 season “epic” would be winning Milan–San Remo and Paris–Roubaix. Achieving that would give him victories in all five Monuments and remove any remaining doubt, in Horner’s view, about comparisons with Merckx.

Horner also reflected on how Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates have matured tactically since 2022. He pointed to Stage 11 of that year’s Tour de France, when repeated errors on the Col du Granon exposed weaknesses in decision-making and team support. Since then, UAE have steadily refined their approach, protecting their leader more effectively, avoiding premature attacks, and timing Pogačar’s efforts with far greater precision.

The remaining weakness, Horner suggested, lies in adaptability particularly at Milan–San Remo. He argued that UAE can become too committed to pre-race strategies, even when conditions on the road demand flexibility. Using the Cipressa as an example, Horner emphasized the need for an “abort button”: if the race situation does not match the planned scenario, Pogačar must be willing to abandon the script.

Learning when to change course, Horner concluded, may be the final tactical evolution required for Pogačar to conquer cycling’s last remaining challenges.