"He is certainly welcome in our club" - Eddy Merckx sends message to Tadej Pogacar before shot at Tour de France history
CyclingWednesday, 01 July 2026 at 17:00
Tadej Pogacar starts the 2026 Tour de France one victory away from joining the most exclusive club in the race’s official history. Eddy Merckx is already making room.
Pogacar has won the Tour four times, and a fifth yellow jersey this month would put him level with Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain. Lance Armstrong crossed the line first seven times, but those titles were later stripped for doping, leaving five as the official record.
Speaking to Het Nieuwsblad before the 2026 Tour, Merckx was asked about the possibility of Pogacar moving alongside him. The five-time winner did not just accept the idea. He opened the door to something even bigger.
“With his qualities, that is obvious and he is certainly welcome in our club,” said Merckx. “Maybe he will be the first to put a sixth next to his name.”
Merckx expects more than a Pogacar procession
Pogacar arrives in Barcelona as the defending champion and clear favourite, backed by another powerful UAE Team Emirates – XRG selection. Nils Politt, Florian Vermeersch, Felix Grossschartner, Brandon McNulty, Isaac del Toro, Tim Wellens and Adam Yates are all part of the squad around him.
Merckx, however, does not expect the road to Paris to be empty. Jonas Vingegaard returns as Giro d’Italia winner and the only rider in the peloton with two Tour victories over Pogacar, while Remco Evenepoel has built his preparation around altitude work.
“Pogacar is obviously the big favourite, but we still hope it will be an exciting battle,” said Merckx. “Vingegaard, Evenepoel and Seixas are the challengers, although perhaps we should not expect too much from the latter in his first participation at the age of 19.”
Paul Seixas gives Merckx’s list its youngest name. The Decathlon CMA CGM Team rider is set for his Tour debut after a spring in which he confirmed that his rise is already moving beyond French promise and into the highest level of the sport. “Besides Vingegaard, we have seen that Seixas was able to compete in Liege-Bastogne-Liege,” Merckx added. “Remco, meanwhile, has trained a lot at altitude.”
Tadej Pogacar and Paul Seixas at the 2026 Liêge-Bastogne-Liège
Five comes first for Pogacar
Merckx’s comments place Pogacar on the edge of two different pieces of Tour history. The first is immediate: a fifth victory would put him alongside the four riders who still share the official record. The second is more uncomfortable for the rest of cycling’s greats: Pogacar is still only 27, already has four yellow jerseys, and Merckx is openly discussing the possibility of a sixth.
Before any of that, Pogacar still has to get through three weeks against Vingegaard, Evenepoel, Seixas and a Tour field that knows exactly what is at stake. Merckx has welcomed him towards the five-time club, but the invitation only becomes official in Paris.
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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- The headline "re-emerging former World Tour climber" and the photo tripped me into thinking that's Froome. He looks a bit like Froome.
KerisVroom01-07-2026 - Agree Jonas not the same since his crash till maybe last years Vueltavaughanstar01-07-2026
- He doesn't take part likely due to training conflicts. And of course he won't be the Merliers of the world. But Tadej has done pan flat races like Roubaix and can seemingly win anywhere.mij01-07-2026
- Jonas put in a historic TT effort, and Tadej was compromised from his LBL crash. The first thing that goes out the window is TT specific training, but people really underestimate how much TT specific training is needed to master it. Two examples, Tour de Suisse this year - no one would confuse MVDP for a TT specialist, but look at that ride! And he said he did a lot of TT training. Tadej's first win, it was very specific TT training that allowed him to beat Primoz.mij01-07-2026
- were we told this by mus musculus or one of his many predecessors?Ketterechts01-07-2026
- Ditto. On any given day, in the right situation... Wout can and has gotten over on Pog. Too bad we won't get a rematch on the Rue Lepic this year.mrvco01-07-2026
- Favourites for the TTT for sure
Rafionain-Glas01-07-2026 - Some people are saying that Jonas is no longer Jonas Vingegaard, but "Jonas Hansen."mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales01-07-2026
- A moment of silliness: Perhaps after Pogačar has won 6 Tours (or 7), 6x Lombardia, 4x Flanders, Roubaix, the Vuelta, and a few more Liege, meaning that he’s on the top of as many lists as possible, he will take a small breather, bulk up, and become a sprinter. It’s the only thing he hasn’t mastered completely yet.RidesHills01-07-2026
- I'm asking once again, what did I write in may upper comment to make you become so mean. All my comments are true and competent, yours aren't. That's the difference between you and me.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales01-07-2026
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