Pogacar might win 7 Tours de France according to Greg Lemond, who bashes Armstrong's legacy - "Lance didn't have his talent; he 'found' it at 28"
CyclingTuesday, 28 July 2026 at 14:19
Three-time Tour de France winner Greg Lemond has spoken about Tadej Pogacar after his Tour de France victory, the third of his career. The American rider believes Pogacar is set to win more, and even overtake Lance Armstrong's unnoficial record.
Pogacar to beat Armstrong?
The 2026 Tour was, according to Pogacar himself, his most relaxed out of all Tour wins. His level was above that of his entire competition whilst Jonas Vingegaard was also forced to abandon the race as it entered its key period.
Pogacar did not suffer from severe fatigue or a knee injury has happened in 2025; whilst 2020, 2021 and 2024 were all conquered in a very different period of his career.
In 2026 he entered the race more relaxed and with an aim at helping Isaac del Toro's own overall ambitions. He finished the Tour within his limits, even coming close to winning in Paris. Potentially, he might be at the start of La Vuelta, as a result of having less pressure on him during the Tour.
"He hasn't had any accidents, no physical problems; he'll be able to carry on for another three or four years," Greg Lemond said in words to L'Équipe. "He's going to win at least seven Tours".
Pogacar is now a record holder together with four more riders. Lance Armstrong during his years as a professional rider won seven consecutive editions, but these were later stripped away from him due to the use of forbidden substances.
He calls Armstrong's arguments that the record is still seven 'irrelevant'. "Lance didn't have his talent; he 'found' it at 28. Pogačar won his first Tour at 21".
Tadej Pogacar now has five Tours de France in his palmarès and is a record holder
Read also
Greg Lemond on Pogacar's genetics
A victory that comes as a fruit of a rider with tremendous tactical knowhow, an incredibly strong team, but above all of a physiologically superior rider who has managed to successfully work on the weak points in his armour.
Altitude and heat no longer seem to be a problem; whilst the Slovenian's endurance and ability to perform at the end of very hard races has seen him become virtually unbeatable in the races that feature any sort of climbing.
"There's Eddy Merckx, but I think now that Tadej is a cut above the rest. It's going to be hard for the others to compete. Maybe Paul Seixas, who is impressive, will be able to do it. But when you reach the summit that Tadej reached, it's difficult to beat that. Hinault and Merckx were like that," Lemond argues.
Put simply, Lemond argues that he is genetically gifted and superior to most of the competition. "Everyone talks about watts, but some people are born with a high VO2 max, and you can't compare that with a guy with a low VO2 max who wins seven Tours de France.
"There's no doubt, Pogačar has exceptional talent. Every now and then, out of millions of people, you have one who has 3 or 4% more. It's not much, but it changes everything in the Tour".
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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- And Jonas. By then, both Seixas and Del Toro (and maybe someone else) will have grown up...MajorPayne28-07-2026
- What big race does Ayuso have a chance of winning? ;)MajorPayne28-07-2026
- Would love to say that this is Zonneveld's worst take ever, but it's just his latest worst take.mrvco28-07-2026
- Because there was so much hype for him to do good. He pretty much finished where a lot of people expected.Pedalmasher28-07-2026
- This would not stop the dominance. Only a salary cap can do that.Pedalmasher28-07-2026
- Yes, Pogi was cooked and wouldn't have won, but if he wasn't pulling, MVDP would have never won. The peleton would have caught him. So MVDP can only say... "Pogi, thank you for pulling."PogiSloFans28-07-2026
- i would argue that if you know you can’t even make it to the line then you’re in no position to give any GIFT.OCexile28-07-2026
- i mean, if trading pulls then failing to make it to the line with the winner counts as a GIFT, then damn, there are lots and lots of gifts being handed out all season long.OCexile28-07-2026
- if trading pulls then ultimately failing to make it to the line with the winner is a GIFT, then damn, there are lots and lots of gifts being handed out all season long.OCexile28-07-2026
- 🤦🤦🤦Just Call Paul, dont sign these piddling ridersabstractengineer28-07-2026
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