“When we talk numbers, Merckx is 525 victories. Mark has 165” - Oliver Naesen on comparisons between Eddy Merckx & Mark Cavendish
Cycling
Although his place in Tour de France history has long been assured, Mark Cavendish confirmed himself as the greatest stage winner in the history of cycling's most famous race earlier this week, completing his 'Project 35'.
Overtaking the legendary Eddy Merckx as the man with the most stage wins in Tour de France history, Cavendish's win brought a smile to many in the cycling community. In terms of who's stage win tally is most impressive between Merckx's 34 and Cavendish's 35 continues to rumble on.
“Times are different now, of course,” Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale's Oliver Naesen told Velo following Cavendish's history making triumph in Saint Vulbas on Wednesday afternoon. “Today it’s way harder to win so much, and the era during which Cavendish did it all is just incredible. We are speaking of two completely different eras. Mark is the GOAT of sprinters. He is the greatest sprinter of all time by far. When we talk numbers, Merckx is 525 victories. Mark has 165. That is an incredible number. Sprinter-wise, he is the greatest of all time.”
Whilst all of Cavendish's victories have come in bunch sprints, Merckx took wins in various different manners. It must be mentioned however, that three positive doping tests hang a cloud over Merckx somewhat despite his iconic status. Cavendish meanwhile has never tested positive for a banned substance.
“When Merckx raced, he was doing 120 days or more. Cycling has changed. Tadej Pogacar wins a lot, but he will never reach those numbers,” Naesen analyses. “The greatest of today, they do 50 race-day seasons. Just mathematically it is not possible to achieve those numbers anymore. Those days of Merckx are over, and those numbers will never repeat.”
“I remember being a junior when Cavendish won his first stages. I raced home from school to watch him win his sprints on TV, and that I am here today, what is he [39]? He is still winning, it is just unheard of, unseen,” Naesen concludes. “The top sprinters just have a period of when they No. 1, maybe one, two, or three years. With Cavendish it is two decades. It is just insane.”
Cavendish took a history making 35th Tour stage win on Wednesday
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 3visitors 3
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Raise thine hand if the money you have made for retirement slips away on poor investments.Most of us will outlive our financial comforts because we don't have the financial acumen to ensure a comfortable lifelong retirement and that is a statistical fact not my opinion.Many millionaires have pissed their money away or had it taken away by so called conniving "financial advisors".The world of wealth is a dangerous place that most of us will never experience nor appreciate.
Brucegel15-11-2026 - You are interested in Pogi for one reason only, you feel like you are somehow related because you share some vague geographical identity. Other than that you have very little interest in cycling as all your posts show, if it can’t be connected to Pogi you have nothing to post. That said, recent activity here shows we are attracting quite a crowd from his region.Jumpyjohn15-11-2026
- From knowing past cycling stars with shops I can only say, think it through. Not only is it mundane after a while but it really doesn’t take you out of the limelight, in the end you’ll be trying to stay away from the place yourself whilst all your fans keep coming for you.Jumpyjohn15-11-2026
- Careful investment? I think he can live very comfortably with zero investments, what does he need more? The world would do well if more people set a target for how much they need or would make them “happy” and then stop worrying about perpetually having to make more.Jumpyjohn15-11-2026
- Yes, Roglic could theoretically have beaten Sepp. Jonas must have had complete confidence that he could come back and win the Vuelta another year. Visma had not allowed Roglic to ride the Tour that year, so his future did not look so bright, despite his narrow Giro win..Hills3315-11-2026
- So far, a good series about riders before my time, even if the text feels AI generated like so much on this site. About the rider, he seems like one of many who are active fan favorites but don’t survive in the stories of cycling, a few decades later - I didn’t really know anything about him and this was a good read, thank you!RidesHills15-11-2026
- A calm, honest documentary, a bit of hagiography but mostly not too much. When he talks about a coffee shop, it aligns with several things in his world - he might want calm, but he does (more than a little bit) have someone near him (his fiancee) who makes sure that things happen the way he expects. Many atheletes have retired only to find out just how much others were taking care of their lives for them. If they work out (I'm old, things happen), I am sure it will take a renegotiation, which is a good thing. I truly enjoyed watching it, seeing him, seeing her, seeing the whole system built around him.RidesHills15-11-2026
- You do? My mother grew up around Bleiburg (Pliberk), across the border in Austria . My grandparents lived close to the train station in Bleiburg, and I spent a lot of the 70s and 80s there. The "Jugo" train of my youth went to Dravograd or Maribor, exotic places (behind the wall) at the time. What a moment that was, the 10 days war of '91 - times sure have changed.RidesHills15-11-2026
- I hope he rides a bitmij15-11-2026
- Greatest athlete this world has ever produced ! LOL ... you definitely are a comdian ! Cycling is so sprecialized and you think he's the greatest athlete ever ! Still laughing !frieders315-11-2026
Loading
8 Comments