Eddy Merckx backtracked after saying that Pogacar was already above him

Since Tadej Pogacar surprises us in almost every race he takes part in with an exhibition, comparisons with the great Eddy Merckx are the order of the day when it comes to the honorary title of the best cyclist in history. An adjective that had been capitalized by The Cannibal for decades until the emergence of the Slovenian, determined to equal or surpass some of the records set by the Belgian, has brought back the debate about who is the best of all time, a debate that Merckx himself fueled with some statements a few days ago.

Merckx or Pogacar? In debate about who is the best in history

After finishing the 2024 Zurich Cycling World Championships, in which Tadej Pogacar conquered the title with an unprecedented exhibition in a world championship, Eddy Merckx, in statements to the newspaper L'Equipe, left a devastating phrase "It is obvious that he is above me. I thought a lot about it when I saw what he did in the Tour de France, but tonight I have no doubts about it."

Words from The Cannibal that, as expected, spread like wildfire on social media and seemed to definitively silence the debate with Eddy Merckx relinquishing his throne, not reluctantly as when Mark Cavendish equaled his record of stage wins in the Tour de France, a record that he managed to surpass in this 2024 edition, but by accepting and applauding the level shown by Tadej Pogacar.

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However, days later, after the excitement of the race we enjoyed on Sunday had passed, Eddy Merckx returns to his roots and in an exclusive interview with the website Relevo makes it clear that the words from Sunday were just a moment of weakness "I was referring to what he did in the World Championship. It was incredible and I said it as I thought it. Beyond that, I don't believe Tadej is superior to me. He has only won three Tours, he still has a long way to go to be the best."

The Belgian also points out that in addition to this fact and having 279 victories as a professional, 525 if we count all those achieved in his career on the bike in all categories, in his time there was much more competition, with years of up to 190 days of racing with all kinds of races.

In any case, Merckx showers Tadej Pogacar with praise, pointing out the exceptional nature of the feat he performed at the World Championships and highlighting some similarities between what the Slovenian does and the cycling of his time, such as competing in a bit of everything regardless of whether they are grand tours, one-week tours, cobblestone classics, etc. an aspect that, according to him, is what makes Pogacar more appealing to people than, for example, Vingegaard.

As a curiosity, in Eddy Merckx's mind there is also a question for Pogacar that many of us ask ourselves and that we all undoubtedly hope will happen: When will he race the Paris-Roubaix? Undoubtedly, the great piece that, after the World Championships, is still missing from Tadej Pogacar's tremendous list of achievements, which already boasts an impressive 86 victories, at just 26 years old.