Eddy Merckx doesn’t hesitate when asked about Tadej Pogačar’s place in cycling history. The five-time Tour de France winner is convinced the Slovenian is on track to eclipse his record — and that no current rider is close to standing in his way.
“Pogačar has never, never, never been in trouble,” Merckx said in an interview with De Telegraaf, reflecting on the 2025 Tour. “There was no real tension in the race. Jonas Vingegaard wasn’t a rival this time — he just held on.”
Merckx said that Pogačar is enjoying a different level of competition than he did in his own era. “If there was stronger opposition, it would be harder for him to win so many,” he said. “But will he win more than five? Absolutely.”
The Cannibal doesn’t see any real contenders rising to challenge Pogačar over the next few years. “Remco Evenepoel? No, certainly not,” he said. “He’s more suited to time trials. In the mountains, he’s not at the same level.” As for Juan Ayuso, Merckx was even more blunt: “He’s not strong enough to hold up for three weeks.”
There is, however, one rider Merckx believes had the potential to unsettle Pogačar — but not anymore.
“Mathieu van der Poel — fantastic! What an athlete,” Merckx said. “His Tour was incredible. He rides with so much heart and does things no one expects. It’s a shame he’s no longer focused on the Tour, because he’s the only one who could have really challenged Pogačar.”
On Sunday, the world champion took his fourth Tour–and he did so in style. On the final, tough stage in Paris–this year with the additional several passes up the cobbled Montmarte climb, Pogi could have sat up.
The organizers decided that given the torrential rain, times would be taken with 50 km to go. But the UAE Emirates rider was having none of the. Instead, he animated the race, attacking multiple times on the Olympic course that was use for this year’s final stage. In the end, it was Visma – Lease a Bike’s Wout van Aert that managed to counter Pogi, and take a brilliant win. Still, the Slovenian showed that he loves to race–and even more to win.
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