"It's flattering, but also annoying" - Tadej Pogacar sick of comparisons to Eddy Merckx

Tadej Pogacar has had himself a year from the gods so far in 2024. Early season victories at Strade Bianche and the Volta a Catalunya came before a historic Grand Tour double at the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France. Now, after returning to racing with a win in Canada, the Slovenian takes on the men's elite World Championship road race. 

So good has Pogacar's 2024 been, that many notable names in the cycling world have drawn comparisons to the UAE Team Emirates leader with the most successful cyclist of all time, Eddy Merckx. The latest of these came from INEOS Grenadiers' duo Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe via their podcast. "I've said before, he's better than Eddy Merckx! And I'm standing by that," said former Tour de France champion Thomas. "Okay, he has got to repeat it for a few more years, but there is no reason why he can't."

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"I can't compare myself to Merckx, because that was before my time," Pogacar responds though, in quotes collected by Het Nieuwsblad, as the Slovenian seemingly tires of the comparisons. "It's flattering, but also annoying because you just want to be yourself. You want to ride your own races and write your own story, not someone else's."

If Pogacar can take victory in Switzerland on Sunday however, he would join an elite list containing only Merckx and Stephen Roche, as riders to have completed the almost mythical feat of the cycling 'Triple Crown' and won the Giro, the Tour and the World Championship road race in the same calendar year. 

Pogacar isn't going to have it all his own way though, far from it. Among the challengers include Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel and the current Rainbow Jersey, Mathieu van der Poel. "The rainbow jersey suits Mathieu," Pogacar admits. "But it would also suit me. It is my big dream."

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ANALYSIS: Can Mathieu van der Poel defend his World Championship title?

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“He 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒔 to wear the rainbow jersey!” 👀🌈 Will Tadej Pogačar be World Champion by the end of the weekend? 🤔

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