Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

[Armchair Cyclist]

Are you 60 old? If you aren't, how can you know "the way" he won 7 MSR. And I fail to see how win 7 MSR is an indicator of how much better Merckx is than Pogacar. It is like saying Oscar Freire is a lot better than Pogacar because he won 3 WC and 3 MSR.

What's wrong with being 60 years old? I was once.

 

[YavorD]

Well, I guess Sean Kelly is better than Pogacar as well.
He was second in Flanders, dominated Basque country and won Roubaix in 8 days...
Noone could do that nowadays.

Makes you wonder what's the reason for that?
Cyclists of that time being that much better than the ones today or the lack of specialization and much lower competitiveness allowing for and insane things like this and Merckx' records?

I'm leaning towards the latter. Hence why you can't really say "Merckx was better"

 

[Froome]

Are you 60 old? If you aren't, how can you know "the way" he won 7 MSR. And I fail to see how win 7 MSR is an indicator of how much better Merckx is than Pogacar. It is like saying Oscar Freire is a lot better than Pogacar because he won 3 WC and 3 MSR.

Merckx didn't won just 7 MSR. He is the GOAT, not because of that, but because he won:

20 monuments, including 2 Paris roubaix
3 world championships
11 Grand tours

Pogacar

4 Grand Tours
6 monuments
Never won paris roubaix or was world champion.

Nevertheless, i think Pogacar entered in the top 10 riders of all time, this year, but it will be hard to make it to the podium.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Mercxk would never finish 4th in a 2 man sprint

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/Kr7YPJM8eME?si=ANLLCdF8thhRAOgt

 

[Froome]

He raced all the time AND at the same time destroyed everyone. That on it's own is already an amazing feat. The way he won his 7 MSR's shows how much completer, and better he was than Pogacar.

7 MSR is something out of this world. Greatness.

 

[Peyroteo94]

What's wrong with being 60 years old? I was once.

Nothing wrong. Only a 60 years old can see Merckx racing

 

[Froome]

Nothing wrong. Only a 60 years old can see Merckx racing

You can see things from the past on youtube for example.

View: https://youtu.be/8km8B7A0L9Y?si=k9HTTudwrsziVDQb

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Nothing wrong. Only a 60 years old can see Merckx racing

Not much chance of that on British TV in the 70s. There might have been 5 minutes of the Tour de France on World of Sport with Dickie Davies once a year. (number of people sharing my cultural references dropping by the word)

 

[RedheadDane]

You can see things from the past on youtube for example.

Yes, but we have to wait our turn.
Apparently, I'll have to wait until 2048 before I'll be able to watch Merckx race.

Not much chance of that on British TV in the 70s.

But were you 60 in the 70es?
Also, sorry; if you were 60 once, you've had your chance; you'll never again be able to watch Merckx race!

 

[Cookster15]

You can see things from the past on youtube for example.

View: https://youtu.be/8km8B7A0L9Y?si=k9HTTudwrsziVDQb

I think Pogacar 2024 Tour de France is much more impressive. I also wince at the big gears they pushed back in Merckx's day.

 

[Froome]

Yes, but we have to wait our turn.
Apparently, I'll have to wait until 2048 before I'll be able to watch Merckx race.

You are lucky. You will see Merckx sooner than me. I will have to wait until 2055.

 

[RedheadDane]

You are lucky. You will see Merckx sooner than me. I will have to wait until 2055.

Already by 2048, Pogacar is gonna be old news, and there will be a bunch of new riders that are much more interesting at the time.
And Merckx? At that point his career will have ended 70 years earlier.

 

[Oldermanish]

Besides cycling, what other profession Pogacar does in his life? Merchant? mechanic? Electrician? Since he is not 110% focused on cycling.

Maybe taking into consideration that life is better when you don't reduce everything to the next race. OK to skip a fan favorite venue in favor of a camp the family can attend, for example. That's riding as fun and mentally, emotionally reinforcing. It takes a very mature, secure personality to take the necessary steps back from sport because of the pressure from jerks/prognosticator and phonies like us.

 

[Hugh Januss]

I think Pogacar 2024 Tour de France is much more impressive. I also wince at the big gears they pushed back in Merckx's day.

Like they had a choice?

 

[Fos]

Besides cycling, what other profession Pogacar does in his life? Merchant? mechanic? Electrician? Since he is not 110% focused on cycling.

Taking your job as a kind of game without sacrificing things that an elite athlete has to do to be at the top. Obviously, you need a natural gift for that.

 

[Froome]

Taking your job as a kind of game without sacrificing things that an elite athlete has to do to be at the top. Obviously, you need a natural gift for that.

He doesn't take his job as a kind of game.

He does a lot of sacrificies, otherwise he is not a good professional, which i don't think is the case.

He needs to sacrifice a lot of things in his life. That's the price of being a professional rider. It doesn't even make sense saying something about that, especially from a top rider.

 

[topt]

No, mine is based on facts. You can check any ranking that attributes points to places and positions. Merckx currently has 7 seasons better than Pogacar’s 2024

I guess that tells a lot about quality of competition

 

[CyclistAbi]

C'mon guys. Past year or so mou, GOAT, Merckx and amateurs. This is basically it, the discussion. And what about Pogi?

 

[Peyroteo94]

I guess that tells a lot about quality of competition

That's not true what he said. 7 seasons better lol. It is like saying Roger de Vlaeminck in 1975 had a better season than 2024 Pogacar because he has more PCS points.

 

[Peyroteo94]

C'mon guys. Past year or so mou, GOAT, Merckx and amateurs. This is basically it, the discussion. And what about Pogi?

Yeah, looking forward to see Roglic doing a mountain sprint to lauch Pogacar for the rainbow jersey

 

[scribers]

I've also seen Casablanca, does that make me 82 years old?

It's HOW he won MSR, Freire won most MSR and WC the same way. Merckx won MSR in sprint, short attack, long attack. Basically every possible way.

Bruyneel said Merckx attacked at the exact same point in msr each of his wins. Totally different race than today

 

[topcat]

The Remco and Roglic threads went bananas years ago. The Pog thread used to be fairly normal a while back before it got goated. I think it's time for the Vingo thread to go cuckoo.

 

[Peyroteo94]

The Remco and Roglic threads went bananas years ago. The Pog thread used to be fairly normal a while back before it got goated. I think it's time for the Vingo thread to go cuckoo.

Pogacar is now the main actor. He is the face of cycling and most popular rider.

 

[BubbaChuck]

mercx was better one day racer,but on climbs pog would destroy him.pog is second all time till age of 26 behind eddie.second part of his career will decide,if he is goat or not.some get better,others decline.can pog pull lance in second part of his acreer,lmao.my bet is on pog going nuts and taking throne from eddie.

 

[Peyroteo94]

mercx was better one day racer,but on climbs pog would destroy him.pog is second all time till age of 26 behind eddie.second part of his career will decide,if he is goat or not.some get better,others decline.can pog pull lance in second part of his acreer,lmao.my bet is on pog going nuts and taking throne from eddie.

Even Merckx said he wasn't the best climber in his time. In today's era, that would mean he wouldn't be able to win GT's (at least the Tour). People who don't recognize that are just hurtful due to Pogacar being so much better than their favourite riders. They are already pushing the narrative double olympics and double WC are more impressive than Giro-Tour because no one has ever made it. TT in worlds only exist since 1995 or 1996, Olympics is a recent event too... and what is more funny is that supposed rider will not even win a Tour in his career, let alone a Giro-Tour.