"Pedersen is not a bad rider, but he's not a good one either and certainly not great" - Roger De Vlaeminck slams the Giro star
CyclingMonday, 16 June 2025 at 07:00
Roger De Vlaeminck and Eddy Merckx were the overlords of late 1960s and 1970s, winning 400+ races among the two. Those feets put them on top of the all-time ranking of cycling legends.
Mads Pedersen left a strong impression at the recent Giro d'Italia after an already strong spring, but how do the two men view his achievements? That is discussed in Het Nieuwsblad debate: "They're hyping him up because he won a few stages at the Giro d'Italia. But he can't win a time trial, and he can't win a mountain stage. To me, that doesn't make you a super rider. What has Pedersen won so far?" De Vlaeminck asks annoyedly.
Read also
Merckx then jumps to the defense of the 2019 world champion. "Careful. Gent-Wevelgem, three times. And if he doesn't crash at the wrong moment this year, I'd like to see him in Paris-Roubaix. And he was strong in the Giro."
De Vlaeminck is not impressed by any of that. While he won the Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders for a combined amount of seven times. In the era of overlord Merckx, De Vlaeminck was able to rack up impressive 162 professional victories including six times the GC at Tirreno-Adriatico. And not just that.
"I won 22 stages at the Giro d'Italia and still finished fourth overall," he counters to Mads Pedersen's four stage wins at this year's Giro d'Italia.
People comparing Tadej Pogacar to Merckx also gets on the nerve of De Vlaeminck: "I'm not going to talk about Eddy. How many times did he win the Giro? Five times? Pogacar will have to hurry."
So what is the Belgian's assessment of Pedersen, the second man on this year's UCI ranking so far? "I'm not saying Pedersen is a bad rider, but he's not a good one. And he's certainly not great. That's my honest opinion, and that's the truth," he concludes.
Read also
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter today!
May 12, 11:09
0
Popular news
Latest comments
- But he would be a wise man if he used the pre=condition "barring any unforseen event" in his prediction?FredMan20-06-2025
- This idiot seems to forget that a lot can happen in a 3 week race. It’s not just form, it’s a lot of luck too. All pog needs is for someone the peloton to take him out by accident and he could be out. Remember pundits declaring Remco was going to win in the giro the other year, only to crash in bad weatherCrashjames19-06-2025
- You're saying that if you patronize the sport of cycling, you are encouraging drug abuse, knowing that doping is prevalent in the sport. In my point of view, I continue to patronize the sport, however possible it may be tainted by doping, because I trust that people are doing their utmost to ensure that it is clean. I take responsibility for giving that trust, because the civilized world will not survive if we do not believe in the goodwill of mankind. If it is proven later that Tadej doped, then so be it. In the meantime, I'll just sit back and enjoy the show.FredMan19-06-2025
- Congrats, João! What a comeback from stage 1!Lobz7719-06-2025
- But Pogocar has never tested positive, unlike Lance.
Front24219-06-2025 - ahahahah I love irony.
maria2024202419-06-2025 - Respect!mobk19-06-2025
- Yésmobk19-06-2025
- It's really cool to hear one generational talent so humbly laud another, perhaps the greatest of all time. Fans can have their opinion, but when a guy who has actually done it and made the sacrifices offers high praise, it hits different.
Barney19-06-2025 - Puke.bobo19-06-2025
Roger, old champ, you oversee one fact:
Mads P rides a lot faster than you ever did.
Roger was racing tomato farmers ...
actually his comments are spot on -- Vin barely races it seems- i know he's had injuries but .. it goes beyond that...
Add up Vingo and Pogi's race days from 2021 to 2025. They are almost the same number. No one says Pog barely races.
actually his comments are spot on....
Poor Roger, once a legend, now a sad old man grasping at relevance.
More clickbait!
"That's my honest opinion, and that's THE truth" I didn't know God is Belgian. The problem to be agnostic.
He's gone cuckoo crazy. Pedersen is among the top cyclists this year with Wout not there yet. It is much difficult for talent to win stages today than previous eras
What's wrong with De Vlaeminck again?
Some modern pro athletes should ride the old bikes used by this oldie and get an apple to apple comparison against his greatest records, and then settle this once and for all.