"He is certainly welcome in our club" - Eddy Merckx sends message to Tadej Pogacar before shot at Tour de France history
Cycling
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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- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
- dude, Lemond never even was in the same race as Armstrong. He throws all these aspersions on other American riders who might usurp his throne as the greatest ever American racer. He doesn't say a single thing about (foreign) dopers who he actually raced against. Biggest douchebag move ever. I used to revere that guy, now I despise him. His actions are so weird.fatsupermodel02-11-2026
- This is just stupid, You do what you are good at not what you are weak at. He has no results to speak of when he participated. Even Froome, Conatdor had very little. With Pogi there he wont win none of the classics. he is already 30+ with a few years left at the top. It takes years to get good at classics. Is that really worth the effort???abstractengineer02-11-2026
- Sure, little fella.awp02-11-2026
- You'll be the ongoing joke of 2027 with anything you post here!frieders302-11-2026
- Awwww your inside information must be from PogiFanGirl. You two daughters of different mothers?frieders302-11-2026
- Hey PogIFanGirl...wipe that cream from your lips! You're ever loving drooling and whatever you have for Tadej has your brain fried!frieders302-11-2026
- Why should he 'let it go' ! Because you said so? Anytime LA Doper is called out is a win win !frieders302-11-2026
- Geez LeMond...let it go. You're a has been, albeit a former great one. But this is all water under the bridge and just undermines your legacy further.Mshark01-11-2026
- 'The Slovenian has collected four Tour de France titles' ... '[Kieran Wood's] ... 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'. i would say that is pretty inaccurate accurate coverage, kieran wood ... too bad that AI's knowledge often lags several months behind ... but proof reading is certainly part of accurate coverage, isn't it? but fortunately does Kieran Wood place 'strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.' i would say the fifth tdf title is pretty new (and even verified) information, so feel free to update this article.Ketterechts01-11-2026
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