However, despite his achievements, De Vlaeminck does not spare some rough words: "Pogacar is a top rider and by far the best in the world, with Mathieu van der Poel a close second. Unfortunately, Mathieu can't keep up in the mountains. That would have been an exciting duel. But Pogacar isn't even half the rider Merckx was."
"If Merckx were to race in the same Giro as Pogacar, Pogačar would be five minutes behind in the general classification
"If Merckx were to race in the same Giro as Pogacar, Pogačar would be five minutes behind in the general classification