"It is now clear that he has no limits" - Eddy Merckx left 'speechless' after Tadej Pogacar's incredible Milano-Sanremo win
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar's Milano-Sanremo victory this Saturday defied all logic. The World Champion has achieved massive feats of success, however few would've expected him to win, the way he did, after crashing hard mere kilometers away from the bottom of Cipressa. Eddy Merckx, whom Pogacar is often compared with, was left speechless with the Slovenian's performance.
“He made me speechless. Did I expect him to win like that? Honestly, no. I think this can be considered one of his greatest performances," the Cannibal said in an interview with Eurosport. “His reaction after that crash was that of a true champion.”
Pogacar was part of a high-speed crash on the nervous run-up to the main climb of the day and despite his quality, it was not expected that he would be able to return to the peloton, make it to the front and still attack the 5.6-kilometer long climb almost in the same location as 12 months ago.
The plan was executed as expected, even if the circumstances were completely unexpected. Only Mathieu van der Poel (who also crashed) and Tom Pidcock managed to follow him there, despite the clear disadvantage at the start of the ascent.
But despite the fall and the extra effort he had to do, he had the legs to make the difference. After some recovery, he was able to power away from the Dutchman on the Poggio. “That Van der Poel would be dropped on the Poggio surprised me. The fact that Mathieu could not sustain his effort is really Pogacar's merit.”
The victory was by no means guaranteed, as a flying Tom Pidcock was never getting dropped on the descent, and had similar sprinting legs. But the Slovenian's endurance was clear, as he was able to repeat his max efforts several times without losing out and then sprinted to victory, which was to be expected after the crash and also the extra effort he had to go through as a result.
“He started the sprint from the front, with the same strength and conviction as Van der Poel last year. If you sprint like that and nobody can come past you, then there is no doubt who is the strongest," Merckx argues. With this, Pogacar now has 11 monument wins, against the 19 of Merckx. But he has won the one that is perhaps least suited to him, the fourth monument in his palmarès.
The Belgian legend, now 80 years old, is surprised that it was only in 2026, at the sixth attempt, that Pogacar won the Italian monument. “Pogacar deserved a Sanremo and actually it is strange that he had not won this race yet. It is now clear that he has no limits. What more does he still have to do?"
Pogacar and Roubaix
All that is missing to complete and almost unachievable list of victories, the five monuments of cycling, is win Paris - Roubaix - where he was second on last year's debut. But Merckx hints that this may not be a long pursuit either.
“Last year he crashed on the cobbles, otherwise he would have gone to the velodrome with Van der Poel to fight for the win and who knows how that would have ended," he argues. “Of course luck plays a bigger role on the cobbles than usual, so he will need that on his side".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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