Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

[Peyroteo94]

Why ? Where do you think Oscar onley would finish in the 70s tours?
It’s fair to say that Pog doesn’t need Eddys numbers to compare, but he needs a lot more than what he has now. Cycling didn’t start in 2020.
He still hasn’t won arguably the biggest two monuments, has only won as many grand tours as Roglic and Gimondi, less than Contador and Froome…much less Merckx or Hinault
I’m more and more surprised, looking at the numbers, how anyone can call Pog the goat yet

Oscar would be a GT winner probably.

 

[Vudy]

Why ? Where do you think Oscar onley would finish in the 70s tours?
It’s fair to say that Pog doesn’t need Eddys numbers to compare, but he needs a lot more than what he has now. Cycling didn’t start in 2020.
He still hasn’t won arguably the biggest two monuments, has only won as many grand tours as Roglic and Gimondi, less than Contador and Froome…much less Merckx or Hinault
I’m more and more surprised, looking at the numbers, how anyone can call Pog the goat yet

MSR didn't have sprint specialists back then or an MVDP caliber rider... Merckx wouldn't won 7 times in the current peloton.
Just my opinion...

 

[Charlyghoul]

Oscar would be a GT winner probably.

Sure…

 

[Charlyghoul]

MSR didn't have sprint specialists back then or an MVDP caliber rider... Merckx wouldn't won 7 times in the current peloton.
Just my opinion...

True , it had a better rider in De Vlaeminck

 

[Charlyghoul]

Merckx in 69’ his first tour win, and the last one where he could climb at his peak due to injury, won the tour by 18 minutes from 2nd place Roger Pingeon, Pingeon had won the tour in 67’ and beaten Ocana to the Vuelta in 69’.
Merckx won 7 stages including the team time trial, won all three individual TT’s and came second in the prologue.
He won the mountains, points and combativity classifications.
In the same year he won San remo, Paris-nice, flanders and liege.

Pog can dream of such dominance

 

[Vudy]

True , it had a better rider in De Vlaeminck

So, how is he better than MVDP? And how did Eddy beat him almost every time then? I agree that merckx was an alien but comparing him to modern cycling is unfair. We should not do comparisons almost 50 years apart...

 

[Vudy]

Merckx in 69’ his first tour win, and the last one where he could climb at his peak due to injury, won the tour by 18 minutes from 2nd place Roger Pingeon, Pingeon had won the tour in 67’ and beaten Ocana to the Vuelta in 69’.
Merckx won 7 stages including the team time trial, won all three individual TT’s and came second in the prologue.
He won the mountains, points and combativity classifications.
In the same year he won San remo, Paris-nice, flanders and liege.

Pog can dream of such dominance

Imagine what Tarling, Ganna or Evenepoel would do to Merckx... Probably, by your admission, he would beat them all...

 

[BubbaChuck]

pogacar would destroy eddie on climbs.

 

[scribers]

If this is what it takes to bring a long inspired career from pogi, keep the proclamations going

“You’d have to combine Pogacar, Van der Poel, Cavendish & Evenepoel to surpass my dad” — Axel Merckx certain about cycling’s G.O.A.T.

In the current era of cycling, Tadej Pogacar is frequently hailed as the new benchmark, a rider with the potential to rewrite history. Yet Axel Merckx, son of the legendary Eddy Merckx, remains measur...

cyclinguptodate.com

 

[Cookster15]

Merckx in 69’ his first tour win, and the last one where he could climb at his peak due to injury, won the tour by 18 minutes from 2nd place Roger Pingeon, Pingeon had won the tour in 67’ and beaten Ocana to the Vuelta in 69’.
Merckx won 7 stages including the team time trial, won all three individual TT’s and came second in the prologue.
He won the mountains, points and combativity classifications.
In the same year he won San remo, Paris-nice, flanders and liege.

Pog can dream of such dominance

Of course, but I think you would agree that the competition is a little tougher in 2025 than it was back in 1969? And 2024 by Pogacar was comparable to Merckyx's arguably best year of 1974.

Pog 2025 is on track to be a similar level as last season. He didn't do the Giro but easily beat an uninjured Vingegaard at the TdF and won pretty much everything else except Amstel and P-R in which he still came 2nd and MSR where he came 3rd. Even in 1974 Merckyx didn't win everything.

And for Pogacar MVDP is the equivalent competition of De Vlaeminck to Merckyx.

Eddy Merckx

Eddy Merckx (born 1945-06-17 in Meensel-Kiezegem) is a former professional road racing cyclist from Belgium, active between 1964 and 1978 and widely recognized as the greatest rider of all time. Among his biggest achievements are 5 wins in the Tour de France as well as 34 stage wins.

www.procyclingstats.com

 

[Charlyghoul]

So, how is he better than MVDP? And how did Eddy beat him almost every time then? I agree that merckx was an alien but comparing him to modern cycling is unfair. We should not do comparisons almost 50 years apart...

Maybe we shouldn’t, but if so many say Tadej is the goat, then it invites a discussion, I think?
In my opinion, unless Tadej keeps on his trajectory for maybe 4 more years, it will be Merckx as goat.

De Vlaeminck was better for me because he won all of the monuments, at this moment in time has more monuments (Van der poel can overtake him still) and did it all while racing against the best cyclist of all time. (Merckx)

Eddy didn’t beat him every time, he was somewhat like Van der poel is for Pogacar, but there were actually other riders who could mix it with them as well, not like now where it seems to be becoming the Pogacar v Van der poel show.

 

[Charlyghoul]

pogacar would destroy eddie on climbs.

Possibly, I guess we’ll never know. Merckx did remarkably well to still win on the mountains after his accident, Pog wouldn’t have it all his own way against a 69 Merckx.
Merckx was though the best time triallist of his era, and could mix it with the sprinters as well. Pog is neither the best time trialler of his generation or capable of mixing it with the sprinters.

 

[Charlyghoul]

Imagine what Tarling, Ganna or Evenepoel would do to Merckx... Probably, by your admission, he would beat them all...

I think he would, sure. He was generally the best time triallist throughout his reign, Pogacar at the moment is second to Remco.
Merckx also has an hour record. He was a dominant tter. Pogacar is actually possibly the only one of Anquetil, Eddy, Hinault, Indurain etc who isn’t the best tter, because Remco is slightly better than him.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Merckx in 69’ his first tour win, and the last one where he could climb at his peak due to injury, won the tour by 18 minutes from 2nd place Roger Pingeon, Pingeon had won the tour in 67’ and beaten Ocana to the Vuelta in 69’.
Merckx won 7 stages including the team time trial, won all three individual TT’s and came second in the prologue.
He won the mountains, points and combativity classifications.
In the same year he won San remo, Paris-nice, flanders and liege.

Pog can dream of such dominance

I'm wondering if you ever saw Merckx racing

 

[BubbaChuck]

my argument is that modern gc build destroys that era in gts like apumkin and easy competative on flat.

 

[Charlyghoul]

I'm wondering if you ever saw Merckx racing

No , I assume neither did you? What is your point ?

 

[Charlyghoul]

my argument is that modern gc build destroys that era in gts like apumkin and easy competative on flat.

Pog is a beast on the climbs sure, put him in the 70s with what Merckx had would he be the same rider ? No he wouldn’t

 

[BubbaChuck]

No he wouldnot be the same rider,otherwise he would won by 30 minutes.he would destroy them in gts and easy competative on flat,lol.

 

[Charlyghoul]

No he wouldnot be the same rider,otherwise he would won by 30 minutes.he would destroy them in gts and easy competative on flat,lol.

He’s a great climber for sure, it wouldn’t be the same in the 70s though.
Think of overall talent, Merckx was the best climber until he was injured, he was still arguably the best after this, he was the best tter, a capable sprinter, could beat the best on the cobbles and on the hilly monuments.
Pogacar is the best climber,but he isn’t the best tter, he isn’t a great sprinter, hasn’t shown he can beat the best on the cobbles.

As a pure climber? Well without going in to the clinic , yes he’s great, possibly better than Merckx ? In ever other area Merckx is the better rider. This is shown by Pog only having more Lombardies and nothing else.
Once again the strength in depth in Merckx time was much higher, I’ll take Gimondi, Poulidor and Zoetemelk over Vingegaard and Remco.
As an overall rider Merckx is simply light years ahead of Pogacar.

 

[Charlyghoul]

Pogacars only rival in the tour, a rival who’s won almost nothing else, cracked him twice and beat him..
He crashed through nobody else’s fault in an innocuous situation trying to keep up with Van der poel at Roubaix…Van der poel a rider who is not even as good as eddys main rival in the classics…

 

[Cookster15]

Merckx was not a better climber than Pogacar.

In the 1972 Tour Merckyx beat Gimondi by 10'41". Zoetemelk came 5th @19 minutes. So Gimondi, Poulidor and Zoetemelk are way behind Vingegaard and Remco.

 

[BubbaChuck]

pog has better record tham merckx at 26 in this era,lmaoo.are we really gonna debate.

 

[scribers]

Merckx had a huge engine, so let's not go too crazy trying to figure out which rider had the better qualities. It's pointless really.

Merckx was far and away stronger mentally to the point of psychotic. After everything and Pogi's career done, I will be looking at this personally when comparing the two.

 

[Charlyghoul]

Merckx was not a better climber than Pogacar.

In the 1972 Tour Merckyx beat Gimondi by 10'41". Zoetemelk came 5th @19 minutes. So Gimondi, Poulidor and Zoetemelk are way behind Vingegaard and Remco.

I’ve already said , Pogacar as a pure climber may possibly be better.
Against a 69 Merckx I don’t think Pogacar will beat him though.
And absolutely not , 8 grand tours vs 3 grand tours , no. Merckx raced against many proven grand tour winners and world champions, Pog races against Vingegaard, a , relatively poor tter, and next best is Remco , a guy who cannot even have a consistent season of cycling.
Merckx competition was simply better

 

[Charlyghoul]

pog has better record tham merckx at 26 in this era,lmaoo.are we really gonna debate.

I’ve already said he’s very talented , so what? He has every chance to compare to Merckx if he keeps going, but he’s talking of retirement.
Bartali won the tour ten years apart, maybe he was more talented than both? Such is life.
Merckx dominated much more with a long term injury. At the moment, Pog is not fit to lace his toe straps.