+9
01:55
+10
14-08-2026 20:17
+0
14-08-2026 16:41
+2
13-08-2026 23:54
13-08-2026 16:16
+1
11-08-2026 20:33
+7
11-08-2026 18:55
+5
11-08-2026 18:06
11-08-2026 13:24
+4
10-08-2026 21:37
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+9
RidesHills
After they double-shafted him on the Vuelta he lost to Kuss, im not sure he had a reason to stay there. VIngegaard jumped him in the hierarchy, when he shouldn’t have even been there, and then both of them had to deal with the uproar of taking something away from the loyal domestique. He had no reason to stay, and Visma royally screwed up by having him leave. They haven’t been the same team since.01:55
+10
RidesHills
A terrible reminder of how dangerous this fickle sport can be. Condolences to the family, friends, teammates, and colleagues further afield. What a shocking death, someone so young.14-08-2026 20:17
+0
RidesHills
@SLO: I haven't said this so far, but I think he's the greater rider, as well. I am in awe like I've never been of any rider, as an adult. I also know how these things get compared. Fifty years from now, when Merckx's records are 100 years old and only a few really old people remember Pogačar racing, people will look at his palmares. People forget the nuance, they look toward numbers, it's just how it is. Look at how they talk about Bartali, "...his prime years were curtailed by the interruption of World War II. That context demands special care when interpreting his statistics." Yes, in my mind Pogačar is actually outdoing Merckx in many ways, but if his career ends prematurely, he'll get the "what could have been" caveat added when interpreting his statistics. Merckx will remain on top, because of his palmares, which he got when he raced longer at that high a level. It's cycling, winning is what counts in the long run. I don't necessarily agree, but I don't get to pick the culture of the sport.14-08-2026 16:41
+2
RidesHills
You can only compete against the people around you, not competitors of the past and future. History books don't add caveats about competitors, technology, or nutrition (though they are slowly adding information about doping, knocking Merckx right on off that pedestal). In the long run, it's the numbers that matter more than anything else. I strongly suspect that this season Pogačar will do something nobody else has: win 4 monuments, 2 grand tours, and the world championship. That's better (in terms of big races) than Valverde did in his entire career, and he's #10 on this list! Let's see if he actually carries it out. Rather than speculation, here's a different statistic that stands out. Pogačar has already bested Merckx, de Vlaeminck, and all the rest by standing on the podium of 11 consecutive monuments, and has been on the podium for the last 14 that he finished. Nobody else gets close to that record. People comparing eras in any sport are going to fail miserably because everything changes, all the time. What it boils down to is that we get to watch an amazing cyclist, and I really hope that we get many more years of watching him race.13-08-2026 23:54
+9
RidesHills
These rankings are plain silly because one of these people is in the middle half of his career. Yes, Pogačar ranks as second best, but is he first? We can't know that yet, because Merckx's career has ended while Pogačar's is ongoing. What we can do is compare them at the same stage in their careers. Pogačar is in his 8th year (2019 to 2026) and it's incomplete, but we can at least start to compare it to where Merckx was at that career stage. At the end of his 8th year, Merckx had won 13 monuments, 7 grand tours, and 2 world championships. In the middle of his 8th year, Pogačar has won 13 monuments, 6 grand tours, and 2 world championships. Given that there are 1 monument, 1 grand tour, and 1 world championship race to go, and all three heavily favor Pogačar, he might be ahead of Merckx by the end of the year. (Did anyone ever predict that such a sentence could be written?!) To reach Merckx's career numbers, Pogačar needs 6 monuments, 5 grand tours, and a world championship. Those are roughly the career numbers of the man who is #9 on this list, Gino Bartali. What's crazy is that Pogačar might actually do this, and none of us would be surprised. But he has to do it, not just have the potential to do it. If he doesn't, would he end up at #1 on the list? Should he? I don't think so. Longevity matters, otherwise we wouldn't have #10 on this list, Valverde. Merckx is who got me into racing as a small kid, and watching Pogačar I sometimes feel the awe of a small kid, again. But, the numbers aren't there yet. Let's let his full career play out, shall we?13-08-2026 16:16
+1
RidesHills
let's hope not, doping infractions and all. Ah, the days when doping led to a time penalty and not being banned for a year or two or four.11-08-2026 20:33
+7
RidesHills
"Sorry, I forgot to ask your name." Ha.11-08-2026 18:55
+5
RidesHills
Some riders ending really successful careers are abrupt (Hinault) as soon as they see they are in the dwindles. Others keep racing a little past their peak, but not too long (Cancellara, Boonen). Some persist even though they will never reach their prime again (Quintana) and others noticeably phone it in for the last few years (Sagan, sadly). Roglič looks to be choosing the slow fade version, moving down a level to a team that has no real GC ambitions but could support him in the right GC races. They need UCI points and he's still a solid rider, wise but not as strong, top 10 but not podium. Good for him for finding a route that works for him.11-08-2026 18:06
+1
RidesHills
And what a crash, pinwheeling against a wall of snow like that.11-08-2026 13:24
+4
RidesHills
Roglič has always had a remarkably forward looking short term memory. Things happen. Move on. That's for success and for setbacks. He's one of the best grand tour riders the sport has ever seen (sure, sure, he doesn't have the Tour on his list, but so close!), and the way he did it felt unique. At some point, though, his resilience and ability to jump back from a setback was going to fail. It goes with his body "aging" (I'm substantially older than him and he's still young, but not in cycling). I wish him the best, but I don't think he's going to meet his goal of winning a 5th time.10-08-2026 21:37