Hi forum,
I found this place six months (the Mou stuff) and I find it amazing. The different characters you guys have and the insights on racing.
I created an account especially for this, because I believe there is a clearcut top 3 ever, also in a clear order, and I must admit I am not too convinced by the arguments trying to show there are others cracking in. Also, I am talking about the more or less televised era, so since mid-1960s, not the Miroir des Sports / radio type of transmission.
It's, Merckx, Hinault then Pogacar. The bloodline between the three is clear and really shines red above any other.
I find it strange that Hinault seems often overlooked, or at least not discussed, especially given the pure strength and fear he conveyed to the opponents in his best years. He was basically a brutal leader and as agressive as his big brother and their incenstuous son. His feats are mythical: he won NBN 1980, and the following year Roubaix sprinting against De Vlaeminck and Moser (with the World's jersey); being first and foremost: a 10/10 GT-hit man. His last tours with LeMond are so dramatic and full of veinous will to win; much like Anquetil he was hated by the French and never was quite the national hero, mostly because he was so blatantly sans faiblesse riding. Obviously he wasn't as good as Pogacar in one-day racing; still, he won five monuments in a competitive era.
Now, it's very clear also that Pogacar, in my time of watching cycling, is comparable to no one. He transforms the sport the way Jokic transforms basketball. I believe next year he could already overtake Hinault if he wins Roubaix and a Vuelta. What really stands out, much like with Merckx, is his winning rate in Monuments (9/19). By the end of his career, I hope he can be called Merckx's equal.
About the comparing eras: to me, you have to compare three factors (I don't buy too much into the weaker era stuff, although the larger pool is potentially a thing). The palmares, the feeling of the peloton, and the feeling among viewers. Reading a few biographies and recounts of pre-1990s time (which is less visually documented), it's striking that Hinault and Merckx were lords in the peloton, that everybody looked at like gods amongst children. Although Hinault did not have the same feeling of inevitability for viewers in one-day racing, he was still a clear top 5 rider (!) in his generation. And most importantly, he won and lost very big in dramatic conditions, which enhances the gut feeling of peloton/viewers, like with Poggie. I don't think people can seriously say Anquetil, Coppi or Bartali are as strong: they simply lack racing days and/or classics and GT achievements compared to Merckx and Hinault.
So I think right now Hinault is still a bit over Poggie; potentially by the end of next year Teddy will have overtaken him due to Classics success and completing the Grand Tour treble.
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