Tadej Pogacar the best cyclist in history? "I already put him in second place, behind Eddy Merckx" José de Cauwer claims

Tadej Pogacar is at such a level in cycling currently that it feels impossible to escape him. Winning two monuments, two Grand Tours, the World Championships, over two dozen World Tour races in a single year... There are absolutely no doubts that the Slovenian is the best rider in the peloton currently; but simultaneously many begin to place him amongst the very best in the sport's history.

"Historically, you can put Pogacar's year among the big ones. I already put him in second place, behind Eddy Merckx. Five times Tour, 5 times Giro, the Vuelta, 3 times world champion and then some things on top of that," José de Cauwer said in words to Sporza. "We'll have to wait a bit longer for that. At the moment he is the best rider in the world". But this does not exclude the possibility that Pogacar will one day reach or be in similar terms of Merckx' palmarès, taking into consideration he has only recently turned 26 years old and seems to have everything fit perfectly in his career. 

What Pogacar is doing looked rather impossible in modern cycling. Whilst in Merckx' days there was little distinction between climbers, sprinters and more; in modern cycling riders specialize in very specific terrains and excel in them. The level is also much more levelled which meant that few riders over the past decades managed to have dominating streaks. It's plausible to argue that Pogacar's feats are already superior to those of Alberto Contador, Chris Froome and Vincenzo Nibali who thrived in the Grand Tour scene over the past decade.

But what he's done this year, on top of his pro career since 2019, has provided him with a great argument for comparisons with the sport's absolute best. De Cauwer, compatriot of Merckx, does not shy away from putting the two in an already similar position. As a perfect example, the UAE Team Emirates rider just by himself has more UCI points currently than several World Tour teams.

Behind him is another generational talent, but one who has had to settle for a minor place on several occasions because of having such an incredible rival. "World champion time trial, double Olympic champion. Nobody has ever done it, because it was almost impossible of course," de Cauwer says, of course, of Remco Evenepoel. "But he is right next to it. And if people have to look for the second best rider, then everyone ends up with Evenepoel".