When we think of greatness in cycling, Eddy Merckx sits on an unrivaled pedestal. With 525 career victories, including a record five Tour de France titles and multiple wins in all Monuments, the Belgian rider is, undoubtedly, the best there has ever been. But cycling has changed immeasurably since Merckx hung up his race wheels in 1978. From new technology, to the number of competition days, to the physical demands placed on a modern bike rider, the current era of racing is almost incomparable to Merckx's halcyon days of the seventies.
With professional cycling in its current guise, whereby the top athletes race a maximum of 60 to 70 race days per season, Merckx's breathtaking records could well be unattainable. Or that's what we thought — until a certain Tadej Pogačar first won the Tour in 2020 and now has enough yellow jerseys to fill a walk-in wardrobe.
(Image credit: Zac Williams)
The Slovenian is the closest rival that cycling has seen to Merckx in decades and if he maintains his stranglehold over the sport, he could mount one of the strongest cases for matching, or even surpassing, the legend who raced almost four decades before him.
Should Pogačar take his fifth GC win at the Tour this summer — which is looking more and more likely as the race goes on — he will equal Merckx's record of victories, a possibility that the 81-year-old says he's not losing sleep over. Speaking at the launch of his new collection with luxury Swiss watch brand, Breitling, Merckx admits he is still an avid follower of the sport which has shaped his life. Seeing his records being challenged is something that he is at peace with — he enjoys the likes of Pogačar racing aggressively with the type of panache Merckx himself exhibited in his day.
"I watch the racing now on television, so the passion I have for cycling still remains. That's why I made it my job all those years ago — I'll always be part of it. Now it's almost a different sport, so much more professional. We used to race so many races, now they only ride 80 per year. I rode 195 race days a year if you include six-days," Merckx recalls.
"Now it's more programmed ahead of time, there is less room for improvisation. In my day, everything was more on feeling, on intuition. Now it is so calculated, like, how many watts per kilo can you do for that long to make other riders suffer? Before it was just however you felt, the moment was to go. The feeling is so different. With radio communication they know how far ahead people are, who is in the front. In my race days, we had to wait minutes until we knew who made up the front group, we didn't have radios or anything like that."
Merckx has heard the comparisons between himself and Pogačar plenty of times, and he is also aware of some negative takes on the world champion's unfathomable dominance. Critics argue that the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider is stifling the competition to such an extent that it makes racing too predictable to watch.
"I think Pogačar is a super rider, he can do everything. He has natural talent and he prepares so well for every race he can win. He's something completely different, an unbelievable athlete. Some people say it's boring, but it's not his fault he doesn't have competitors and he's that good," Merckx retorts.
According to the Belgian, all is not lost when it comes to others rivalling Pogačar: "Maybe we'll see [Jonas] Vingegaard competing with him in the mountains in the future, but it is true that Pogačar is more complete as a rider. We also shouldn't forget Remco Evenepoel, he is the Olympic champion and excels in the TT but now we will see what he does over three weeks."
It is clear that Merckx keeps a close eye on the peloton's up-and-coming talent. He cites the career of new French wonderkid, Paul Seixas, as one he has been following with interest. The 19-year-old has made headlines with his performances already this season and the French public is dreaming that they have a future Tour winner in their midst. Merckx stresses, though, that Seixas' development needs to be carefully monitored.
"He needs to feel it for himself, he needs to feel his body and see what he can do. He should stay within his capabilities, try not to go above and beyond. Burning himself out at a young age is his biggest danger. I think he will manage the pressure, before it was harder. Now every team has PR people who protect him, it's much more professional than in our time. Anyway, when you are a winner you need to be able to handle the pressure otherwise you will never make it as a big rider."
Has the sport lost any of its romance or soul as riders become more guarded and protected from the public? Has the introduction of race radios, or the obsession with power data and metrics, taken away the raw excitement that fans once fell in love with? Merckx has a measured response when posed with these questions.
"Both eras of the sport had their charm, the evolution has made them completely different. You can't delay the evolution of sports, everything changes," the Belgian says both peacefully and pragmatically.
Regardless of whether Merckx's records are shattered or remain intact as Pogačar continues his relentless pursuit of victories, the 81-year-old's breadth and volume of achievements will remain timeless. He's watching the Tour from his television at his home in Antwerp, marvelling at the bike riders who carry on the legacy of a sport which he was integral to building. We may have Seixas, Pogačar and Vingegaard — but no one will ever be Eddy Merckx.
