Where Does Pogačar Rank Among the All-Time Greats?

There’s no real debate about whether Tadej Pogačar is the greatest cyclist in the world today. His utter domination of the biggest tours and races has made him the benchmark and inspiration for any new rider, as well as the one that all the rest of the pack want to beat. He is almost guaranteed to win any event he enters.

The best betting sites profiled at www.mytopsportsbooks.com certainly agree. Those sportsbooks consistently make him favorite to win, and it takes a brave pundit or fan to dismiss his chances of winning any race he is involved with. His superiority is undisputed – but where does he rank among the all-time greats?

Cycling has seen its fair share of heroic performances over the decades, with a number of former riders championed to this day. With that in mind, we thought we would explore whether Pogačar can already be favorably compared to the true greats of the sport, and possibly as the greatest of all time.

The Five-Time Club

When Tadej Pogačar claimed his fifth Tour de France victory this summer he made history, joining a very exclusive group of riders. Before the 27-year-old Slovenian ultimately triumphed in Paris, there had only ever been four other cyclists to take arguably the greatest honor in the sport on five occasions.

Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain were previously lauded as the greatest the Tour de France had ever seen. But now Tadej Pogačar has added his name to that list, and it might be argued that he is better than most, if not all, of those celebrated riders. 

Monument Success

Being the greatest Tour de France cyclist – even if that is the case – does not automatically make a rider the greatest of all time. Although the Tour is the most recognized event in the sport, there are plenty of other high-profile races that can make or break an individual’s claims to being number one.

The Monuments are some of the most prestigious one-day events in cycling, and a history of success there is a good indicator of overall greatness. Only Eddy Merckx won more monuments than the Slovenian, although there is still obviously plenty of time for Pogačar to even up that tally.

The Paris-Roubaix is the only monument to evade Pogačar, after he captured the Milan-San Remo this year, but he has proven that he can cope with the tough cobblestone elements of other races, so completing the set must soon be on his agenda.

Incredible Versatility

It is that level of versatility that helps make the argument that Tadej Pogačar may well already be the greatest ever. Being able to win all kinds of events is a sign of his diverse skills, but closer inspection of Pogačar’s riding style further cements him as a cyclist with skills to fit all terrains.

Anyone analyzing his races will soon see that Pogačar is somehow able to draw upon huge reserves of strength, enabling him to push harder even when deep into a multi-hour stage. His success of Monuments and mountain stages alike, stand him out from the modern idea of a specialist, allowing him to be compared to some of the greats of the past.

Better Than Merckx?

Of course, when it comes to declaring a cyclist the best ever, we are really saying that they are even better than the legendary Eddy Merckx. The Belgian cyclist has the most Tour de France victories, the most Grand Tour triumphs overall, and the most Monument wins. Merckx’s total career wins also dwarf Pogačar’s efforts.

Cycling has obviously changed in the decades since Merckx’s dominance, and many would claim that there is no way we can compare the era of the Belgian and the modern day. It is true, Pogačar races at a time when fewer race days and data-led scientific analysis play an important role. But he is also racing against a much deeper talent pool of riders than when Merckx was at his height.

Recency Bias

That idea of comparing riders from different eras is a difficult one, however much you can recognize the greatness of Pogačar. But there is also the issue of recency bias. This can be found in other sports as well, where fans will point to Lionel Messi as being the GOAT, seemingly forgetting about the accomplishments of players like Pelé and Maradona.

It is always easy to point to the latest star as being the greatest of all time, as they are pushing the sport onto new levels. Avoiding such recency bias is difficult, but the other side of the argument is that modern cyclists have used the available technology to advance the sport and reach new heights. A more nuanced comparison is needed. 

Just Enjoy Pogačar’s Success

Even with those four previous five-time Tour de France winners, Eddy Merckx stands out. If there used to be an undisputed greatest of all time, it was the Belgian rider. When it comes to comparing cyclists from different historical eras, it becomes difficult to separate the equipment, technology, and competition from the achievements. Merckx was the best of his time, Pogačar is the best of his.

Being the best of your time is surely the only real target for any cyclist, and Tadej Pogačar has been able to emulate Merckx on that front. Does it really matter whether we can claim that the star of the modern era can be classified as better than his historical counterpart? Even if Pogačar ends up beating all of Merckx’s career-win records, we should applaud those achievements without comparison. Enjoy Pogačar’s performances for what they are, and simply regard him as the greatest cyclist of the modern era instead.