{"id":603768,"date":"2026-04-14T16:41:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T16:41:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/603768\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T16:41:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T16:41:17","slug":"a-message-from-lebron-pogacars-tires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/603768\/","title":{"rendered":"A Message from LeBron, Poga\u010dar’s Tires"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated April 13, 2026 05:53AM<\/p>\n

Paris-Roubaix<\/a>, it\u2019s a race of a thousand narratives.<\/p>\n

Every rider who makes it across the gnarled cobblestones and into the ancient velodrome has tales to tell after the Hell of the North.<\/p>\n

And away from the bikes, the hype of \u201cThe Queen of the Classics\u201d conjures all sorts of curious back-stories and sub-plots.<\/p>\n

This year was no exception \u2013 both Paris-Roubaix and Paris-Roubaix Femmes were puncture-fests riddled with oddities and what-ifs.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a wrap of a few of the intriguing things you might have missed before Wout van Aert<\/a> and Franziska Koch<\/a> rattled to career-defining victories Sunday at Paris-Roubaix:<\/p>\n

Did LeBron James curse Mathieu van der Poel?
\n\"LebronLebron sent Van der Poel a hype-message before his Paris-Roubaix was derailed by disasters. (Photo: Sean M. Haffey\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

LeBron James made a surprise social media stop-off in the Paris-Roubaix universe this weekend.<\/p>\n

Encased in a bike helmet the size of a small planet, \u201cKing James\u201d took to Instagram to send a message of support to three-time champion Mathieu van der Poel ahead of the Dutchman\u2019s big day.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing but respect for greatness at the highest level. MVDP is just a different breed. The preparation. The mindset. The willingness to embrace the pain. That\u2019s what separates legends from the rest,\u201d James said in his social media message.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo be great. Go make history,\u201d he continued. \u201cThe world is watching for a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

From the court to the cobbles: \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 LeBron James sends a message to \ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddf1 Mathieu van der Poel ahead of Paris-Roubaix<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfa5 IG: LeBron James pic.twitter.com\/2F9GRQ1p3I<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Domestique (@Domestique___) April 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Inspiring words from one sporting great to another, indeed.<\/p>\n

But did LeBron inadvertently cast some sort of spell on mighty MVDP?<\/p>\n

Van der Poel\u2019s chance at a historic four-peat deflated in a calamitous collection of punctures and a pedal fiasco<\/a> in the depths of the Arenberg trench.<\/p>\n

It was a disastrous spell almost unknown by the man who typically surfs cobbles like he\u2019s on a casual Sunday ride and dodges misfortune like he\u2019s a magician.<\/p>\n

And why was LeBron sending his stoke to Van der Poel anyway?<\/p>\n

Sure, the 41-year-old is a noted bike fan<\/a> and no doubt a very nice guy.<\/p>\n

Maybe he just wanted to show support?<\/p>\n

Sorry, but the skeptic in us thinks it might have been a canny activation prompted by their shared bike sponsor, Canyon.<\/p>\n

Spectator collisions shape women\u2019s and junior Paris-Roubaix
\n\"\"Brand was one of two riders who suffered spectacular collisions with spectators on Sunday. (Photo: Luc Claessen\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Lucinda Brand\u2019s quest to top her career-best third-place finish at Hell of the North came to a spectacular, catastrophic end on the Carrefour de l\u2019Arbre on Sunday.<\/p>\n

The charging Dutchwoman brushed a spectator as she took a smooth but risky line down the gutter of the five-star sector, and was sent clattering to the stones.<\/p>\n

The incident took her out of the second chasing group of Lotte Kopecky and budding Coloradan Megan Jastrab, and ended her shot at glory.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

But it could have been worse.<\/p>\n

Reels shared by nearby members of the crowd<\/a> show how close the following moto came to plowing over the rider and her bike.<\/p>\n

And Brand wasn\u2019t the only one who came unstuck in pursuit of a smooth ride over the pav\u00e9.<\/p>\n

The very same scenario ended Soren Bruy\u00e8re Joumard\u2019s chances<\/a> earlier that day as he led the junior race.<\/p>\n

These collisions aren\u2019t the first of their type. They won\u2019t be the last, either.<\/p>\n

Riders often look to exploit the grassy verges and smoother stones along the outer edge of the pav\u00e9. Bike-crazed fans wielding booze bottles, chip packets<\/a>, and smartphones are only inches away.<\/p>\n

Brand was lucky to come away from her crash unhurt.<\/p>\n

Incredibly, she even chased back to finish 10th behind FDJ\u2019s breakout winner, Koch, and was lucid enough to accept shared responsibility for the incident in a message she wrote on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Joumard didn\u2019t share the same fortune. The young Frenchman was able to ride to the finish but had to settle for 70th.<\/p>\n

Titanic tires for Tadej Poga\u010dar
\n\"Poga\u010darPoga\u010dar was rolling a seriously beefy tire on his front wheel on Sunday. (Photo: Bernard PAPON \/ POOL \/ AFP)<\/p>\n

Not even a set of tires that looked suited for a tractor could save Tadej Poga\u010dar from three punctures on Sunday.<\/p>\n

According to Bike Radar<\/a>, Poga\u010dar used a 35mm Continental GP5000S TR on the front wheel of his Colnago Y1RS. When inflated on his Enve rims, it ballooned to 38mm.<\/p>\n

Just look at the images \u2013 this thing is huge.<\/p>\n

Poga\u010dar used a 32mm tire on the back, which Bike Radar believes inflated to closer to 35mm.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s thought that the mismatch was largely due to limited frame clearance rather than performance improvement.<\/p>\n

Riders have been opting for increasingly wide tires in pursuit of better comfort and rolling resistance across the heinous stones of Paris-Roubaix.<\/p>\n

In recent years, tire widths ballooned from 28mm to 30mm to 32mm as huge, squishy, tubeless setups made old-school tubulars redundant.<\/p>\n

The development of 35mm options expanded the trend to a wild new level this weekend.<\/p>\n

But if Poga\u010dar\u2019s myriad of misfortunes on Sunday proves one thing, it\u2019s that there\u2019s no puncture-proofing Hell.<\/p>\n

Was Poga\u010dar\u2019s sprint stymied by a flat?
\n\"YetYet another plot-twist for Poga\u010dar: His teammate thinks he sprinted on a flat tire. (Photo: asper Jacobs \/ Belga Mag via AFP)<\/p>\n

While we\u2019re on the topic of Tadej\u2019s tires \u2013 did the world champion have to sprint against Van Aert on a flat?<\/p>\n

His teammate Antonio Morgado thinks so.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt looked like he had a problem with the rear tire, so we checked the bike [after the race]. It didn\u2019t feel right. It seemed like he had a puncture at the back,\u201d Morgado told In De Leidustri.<\/a><\/p>\n

Could that have been the difference for Poga\u010dar? Was his chance for a historic monument sweep deflated by a sub-optimal sprint set-up?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not been confirmed that the tire was flat. But it certainly won\u2019t have helped a rider who already had \u201cspaghetti legs\u201d<\/a> if it were.<\/p>\n

Three Kopeck\u00fds and one Kopecky at Paris-Roubaix
\n\"\"Matyas (second left) and Tomas (second right) shown here earlier in 2026, were joined by sister Julia in the Roubaix velodrome. (Photo: Luc Claessen\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Momma and Poppa Kopeck\u00fd had a very nerve-rattling day on Sunday. Three of their kids raced Paris-Roubaix on Sunday in what might be a first in pro cycling.<\/p>\n

Matyas (23) and his elder brother Tom\u00e1\u0161 (26) finished 30th and 61st respectively for Unibet Rose Rockets in the men\u2019s race.<\/p>\n

And it turns out they didn\u2019t have to wait in the velodrome too long to welcome their baby sister, Julia. The 21-year-old finished 15th in the Femmes for SD Worx-Protime only an hour or so later.<\/p>\n

And no, the Czech trio is no relation to Flandrien queen, Lotte Kopecky.<\/p>\n