"Eddy Merckx was a real professional who largely rode against cigar farmers" - Ex-pro says Tadej Pogacar far more impressive than the legendary 'Cannibal'
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar was utterly dominant at the first Grand Tour of the season, taking victory by an incredibly impressive margin of just short of ten minutes at the Giro d'Italia, drawing comparisons to the legendary Eddy Merckx as a result. According to ex-pro Danny Nelissen however, Merckx is nothing special to be compared to in the first place.
"Does Pogacar come close to Eddy Merckx as the greatest cyclist of all time? I don't think Merckx is the best cyclist ever anyway," says the 53-year-old Dutchman, who rode the Tour de France three times in his career, including a second placed finish on stage 4 of the 1996 edition, in conversation with Wielerrevue. "Merckx was a real professional who largely rode against cigar farmers. People who had to work on the side because they couldn't make a living of their sport. It was a bit like the time of women's cycling today. You can compare it a bit with that. There are riders with gigantic contracts who can make a great living for their sport and there is a very large group who have to cycle for 500 euros and a shirt and pants."
The fact that Pogacar is being so dominant against a field of supremely talented professionals in their own right, makes the Slovenian, UAE Team Emirates leader far more impressive than Merckx ever was according to Nelissen. "Everyone always talks about Eddy Merckx's hundreds of victories, but you may also wonder who he won them against," he explains.
"Currently the peloton consists of all highly paid professionals. No, I find the supremacy of Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel more impressive than that of Merckx,” the Dutchman concludes, referencing the epic one-day performances of the Rainbow Jersey wearing Dutchman who has also drawn comparisons to Merckx in recent times thanks to the manner of his victories.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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Eddy Merckx turns 79 today. In his pomp he was making the front pages alongside the first lunar landing
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