"The greatest of his time, yes" but Stephen Roche hesitates to call Tadej Pogacar the greatest of all time just yet
CyclingMonday, 09 December 2024 at 15:15
In 2024, Tadej Pogacar did something only Stephen Roche and Eddy Merckx had ever done before in combing victories of both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France with a Rainbow Jersey triumph at the World Championship road race.
On Friday night, Pogacar's 2024 season, which also included two monument victories among other successes, was rewarded as he claimed both the Eddy Merckx Trophy and the Velo d'Or at the 2024 edition of the prestigious ceremony. Watching on from the all-star crowd in attendance, was Irish cycling icon Roche, who spoke to L'Equipe to give his praise to the Slovenian leader of UAE Team Emirates.
"He had everything he needed to pull off this treble, so we were surprised without being surprised," Roche reflects on Pogacar's Triple Crown triumph. "Everything has to come together for him to succeed, and the World Championship route has to suit him, and that was the case, so from the start of the season, we (Roche and Merckx ed.) knew we were going to be caught. And I'm happy about that, because he's a very fine ambassador."
Can Pogacar continue his all-conquering dominance into 2025? "I think so, but we're lucky that others are here too, like Remco Evenepoel, Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic, who have all been injured this year," assesses the Irishman. "Vingegaard, he's the one who's going to achieve something in 2025, to come back from what happened to him (a heavy crash in April) to finish 2nd in the Tour, that shows something. There are still some great Tours de France to come, and I think the level will even out a bit, especially as it's hard to keep up."
So good was Pogacar's season in 2024, that some have already called the 26-year-old the greatest of all time. Although Roche is clearly a massive fan of the Slovenian, he doesn't feel it's time to call him the G.O.A.T. just yet. "It's hard to compare, and that's why I can't say he's the greatest of all time. The greatest of his time, yes, but you have to respect what Merckx, Indurain and all the others have done," the 65-year-old concludes. "He's the best of the moment. And he'll be one of the greatest of all time in any case, but we'll take stock at the end, and we're a long way from that."
Tadej Pogačar wins the men’s 2024 Vélo d’Or 🏆
— Velon CC (@VelonCC) December 6, 2024
📸 Getty Images
_____#velodor pic.twitter.com/6aaWPVgQ9n
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- That does seem to be an ever more common motivation for sudden performance ;-)Mistermaumau22-05-2025
- He actually said it with gloves onMistermaumau22-05-2025
- I hope so. Or was it just to show that he is still worth another good contract?Cyclingsbestfan22-05-2025
- Given the amount of money this guy earns, thinks it's collectively beneficial with respects...
leedorney22-05-2025 - what a pity... he could have easily won the stage. He stopped his attack.
maria2024202422-05-2025 - Poor decision to let Primoz come back. Should have tried to put time into him.
Front24222-05-2025 - You're so wrong ! Froome needs to go away!frieders322-05-2025
- Shows a lot of class for such a young guyCrashjames22-05-2025
- Think how strong the team could be without Froome consuming all that money with nil to show for it. Sad. Selfish on his part tbhCrashjames22-05-2025
- Tom Dumoulin said out loud what many people were already thinking.
santiagobenites21-05-2025
I'm calling it. Tadej is the GOAT. For what he does and the way he does it.
And the era in which he rides. Cycling is lucky to have him.
I used to think Pogacar was more like Hinault than Merckx. Then he became an ever better classics rider and his style was not quite like Hinault anymore. I mean, maybe he’ll end up having multiple seasons of multiple grand tours and monuments at the same time, and then we can really compare him to Merckx. Let’s see if he keeps this going. It’s amazing to watch, but let him retire before we all decide, perhaps?
Exactly,
Since when does a guy with 2-3 good years an excellent an an amazing one already qualify as a GOAT, you have to last the distance otherwise you’re more a could have been like Senna or Froome who stopped short of rising further for very different reasons.
What happens if Pog does a Froome next year?
The fact that apart from EM only Roche achieved this triple speaks for the invalid criteria for this to mean very much, it’s often more a question of circumstances and quite a few would have been capable of achieving this in the right circumstances.
I wish Pog all the best, am pretty sure he’ll deliver a lot more but he will have fierce competition and so that title some are bestowing on him is premature at 26, especially as two of his close rivals are no older and no-one, not even they, knows how they will continue to evolve.