"Very refreshing" - Not everyone is against extensive criticism of Tadej Pogacar by Belgian legend Roger de Vlaeminck
Cycling
Roger de Vlaeminck is one of cycling's greatest legends, having won many monuments, Grand Tour stages and much more throughout his extensive career that spanned throughout the 1970's and 1980's. Hence, it came as a surprise to see the Belgian 78-year old criticize the comparisons of Eddy Merckx with Tadej Pogacar, wording it quite aggressively regarding something that is rather logical. However there is not only negative feedback regarding the Belgian veteran.
"Make me 22 today and put me in the bunch with Pogacar, and he wouldn’t drop me. Where was it recently — when he rode away from Evenepoel? At Lombardia. On not even a difficult climb. As good as Merckx… come on," was one of the statements of De Vlaeminck in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws.
More was said, where he made it clear that in his opinion, the current World Champion is nowhere near the level of Merckx in his prime. De Vlaeminck, a compatriot and also former rival of Merckx, has basis to claim this perhaps better than anyone else, however over social media and other pundits there were clear signs of confusion regarding the statements.
These were taken with a big grain of salt by the cycling community, who didn't understand the reason for such harsh words. De Vlaeminck himself was criticized over them, as the World Champion's immense success draws very reasonable comparisons with the man who is termed as 'cycling's best ever'.
Terrible nonsense, but refreshing
"I don't think those comments really suit him. If he compares the 70s with now, it's terrible nonsense," Brian Holm said in an interview with Ekstra Bladet. The Danish figure however doesn't take issue to it. "It is also very refreshing that there is someone who does it. Someone who just goes off and takes all of Belgium in hand".
Whether it is correct or not is up for debate, but the debate is many times the most interesting aspect of the sport when discussing historical figures. And in Holm's view, De Vlaeminck's inflammatory words help keep the spark and the interest in the cycling bubble. "He shows up a few times a year," however as he points out, it is quite clear that "he is not popular with the young riders,"
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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- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
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