What a race. Tadej Pogačar became the first male rider since Stephen Roche to win the Triple Crown. The first to ever do it was Eddy Merckx, who won the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France, and the rainbow jersey in 1974. But Pogi’s win on Sunday was one for the ages.
Sunday’s conclusion to the 2024 UCI road world championships in Zürich, Switzerland, cemented Tadej Pogačar’s place among the all-time greats. The Slovenian attacked with 100 km to go, then powered ahead solo with 50 km remaining to cap off a dream season.
So is Pogi now the GOAT of men’s cycling? Merckx thinks so.
Just Mike Woods eating out of Tupperware during the road worlds
“It is obvious that he is now above me. And deep down, I already thought as much when I saw what he did at the last Tour de France,” the Belgian said in an interview with L’Equipe. “Tonight, there’s no more doubt about it.”
It’s been exactly 50 years since the legendary Belgian accomplished the feat, and you could argue that cycling is quite different now than it was then. The level of the lower-ranked riders has risen, but still, the way Pogačar won was unprecedented.
“Obviously, you can never compare eras. But this is an incredible rider. I didn’t attack with 100 kilometres to go in a world championship, but what he has done is unimaginable. It’s something we’ll remember for a very long time,” Merckx said.
As Daniel Friebe pointed out, by the time Merckx was the same age as Pogačar, he had already claimed two Tours de France, two Giros, two Lièges, two Paris-Roubaix titles, one rainbow jersey, four Milan-Sanremo victories, and one Tour of Flanders.
Pogačar has won the Tour three times, as well as two Lièges, a rainbow jersey, and a Giro. He’s also won Flanders and has a couple of Il Lombardia wins. He hasn’t won Paris-Roubaix—but that’s because he hasn’t raced it.
Merckx said that Sunday’s win was truly one for the ages. “He took a lot of risks against Mathieu van der Poel and Remco Evenepoel, but that didn’t scare him. That’s when you realize that Pogačar is an immense champion. He is out of the ordinary,” the five-time Tour winner said.
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