Eddy Merckx has no doubt: Tadej Pogacar is going to break the record of five Tour wins. The Belgian cycling legend saw that the Slovenian never once struggled in the recent Tour de France. “Pogacar never, never, never ran into trouble,” says the 80-year-old Merckx in an interview with De Telegraaf.
“There hasn’t really been any real tension during this Tour de France,” believes The Cannibal. “Jonas Vingegaard wasn’t a contender; three weeks ago, he could only follow along.” According to Merckx, Pogacar also faces less competition than he did in his era. “If there had been more rivals, it would have been harder for him to rack up so many wins. But if you ask me whether he will win more than five Tours, I can only answer: absolutely!”
For the coming years, Merckx doesn’t see anyone who can threaten Pogacar. “Remco Evenepoel? No, definitely not. Remco is more of a time-trialist. He lacks the climbing ability to challenge Pogacar for the Tour victory.” He also doesn’t see Juan Ayuso as a serious future challenger to the Slovenian: “He’s not strong enough over three weeks.”
Mathieu van der Poel
Merckx is openly enthusiastic about Mathieu van der Poel. “Fantastic! He really rode an incredible Tour, what an athlete! His dedication is unmatched and he often does beautiful and unexpected things.” Merckx finishes with a striking statement: “It’s a pity that Mathieu isn’t more of a stage race rider, because he’s the only one who could truly challenge Pogacar.”
