Yes, Tadej Pogačar Is Thinking About His Place in History, but It’s Not Eddy Merckx on His Mind

Tadej Pogačar is often compared to Eddy Merckx, but when he measures his own place in cycling history, the Slovenian superstar isn’t looking quite that far back.

The generational great revealed Friday he has another measuring stick than the Belgian GOAT.

“I don’t really look into that,” Pogačar said. “I know that Merckx won so many races that I probably will never reach in my life, but it was completely different races also, they had every crit race and small race counting as a victory. It’s tough to judge that far back.

“I would rather look at the palmarès of Tom Boonen, Fabian Cancellara, Chris Froome or Alberto Contador, because it’s a bit more close to me than Eddy Merckx’s palmarès or anyone from that era.”

The comment Friday comes as Pogačar is deep into an untouchable run stretching across three seasons when — just like Merckx — he seems to win just about every race he starts.

Pogačar typically brushes off questions about his own place in cycling history.

Friday’s answer hinted that Pogačar — now undeniably the greatest rider in the modern era — is at least giving some thought to where he fits in even if everyone else already knows it.

Coming close to Merckx with half the race days

Pog’s comments also come after some controversy during this summer’s Tour de France, when disgraced former Tour champion Lance Armstrong suggested Pogačar was chasing “his” record of seven Tour victories.

Pogačar largely brushed off the Armstrong noise at the Tour, but his answer Friday at the Vuelta offered a rare glimpse into how he views his own place in the pantheon of cycling gods.

And the comments also come as Pogačar is also discussing his long-term future with UAE Emirates-XRG, with talks underway about extending his current contract beyond 2030.

His agent Alex Carera told Velo this week that no agreement has been finalized and that discussions are still ongoing.

At 27, with five Tours de France, one Giro, and a growing collection of monuments and world titles already behind him, Pogačar potentially has years left to reshape the record books.

Unlike Merckx, who raced upward of 100 days a year and also raced cyclocross and track, Pogačar races a lean, modern calendar of between 50 and 60 days.

That he’s even closing in on some of Merckx’s records reveals just how extraordinary his numbers already are.

‘We’re here to win, not fool around’

First off, there’s still one conspicuous box to check with La Vuelta.

The Spanish grand tour remains one of the few omissions from his palmarès. Victory in Granada would make Pogačar only the ninth man in cycling history to win the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, and Vuelta a España.

Merckx is on that list, of course. So are a few of the riders Pogačar specifically named on Friday with Froome and Contador.

And the way he’s been racing so far in this Vuelta — three stage wins in six contested stages and leading since day 1 — only adds to the sense that he’s thinking about legacy.

He attacked late on Friday’s summit finale despite already holding a commanding lead. He didn’t need the time, and he certainly didn’t have anything to prove.

Asked afterward whether he attacked simply for the love of racing, Pogačar didn’t mince words.

“We are here to win, not fool around,” he said. “Yes [to gain time], but also to win the GC.”

After nearly crashing Thursday, Pogačar knows that before any more comparisons with the GOATs, he still has to finish off the job here at La Vuelta.