🇮🇹 MILAN, ITALY — The controversy surrounding Tadej Pogačar’s status in the cycling pantheon has escalated, with a respected Italian journalist launching a firm rebuttal against the inflammatory comments made by Belgian legend Roger De Vlaeminck. The clash pits the nostalgic, old-school perspective of a seven-time Monument winner against the modern reality of Pogačar’s unprecedented, cross-discipline dominance.
The debate began when the 78-year-old De Vlaeminck, known for his uncompromising candor, dismissed any comparison between Pogačar and Eddy Merckx in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws. “Nonsense! Pogačar isn’t even fit to lace Merckx’s shoes,” he exclaimed. He doubled down with a sweeping, ego-fueled assertion: “If I were 22 today and riding in the peloton with him, he wouldn’t be dropping me.”
The “Unacceptable” Historical Correction
Speaking to Bici.Pro, veteran Italian sports journalist Claudio Gregori offered a firm, fact-based challenge to De Vlaeminck’s tone and historical memory. Gregori directly questioned De Vlaeminck’s self-assessment, reminding the Belgian icon of his own rivalry with The Cannibal.
“De Vlaeminck’s remarks are unacceptable – Merckx beat him many times,” Gregori stated, pointing out the hypocrisy of a rider who was often in Merckx’s shadow now using the legend’s name to diminish a modern star.
Gregori argued that De Vlaeminck’s comments fail to consider the broader, evolving context of professional cycling. He insisted that modern-day achievements carry a different kind of weight compared to the Merckx era, where the depth of competition was far less global.
“Modern cycling is very different from theirs — everything is calculated down to the millimeter,” Gregori noted, emphasizing the specialization and scientific rigor that make modern victories harder-won.
The Rivalry Myth Debunked
One of the common counter-arguments against Pogačar’s dominance is the claim that he lacks true rivals. De Vlaeminck and others suggest that Merckx faced a tougher field. Gregori rejected this notion outright, pointing to the constant threat posed by contemporary stars.
“It’s not true that Pogačar has no rivals at his level,” he said, highlighting the intense, grueling battles Pogačar has waged with two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard. He also identified young Belgian star Remco Evenepoel as a major long-term threat, noting, “He is two years younger… he has shown he can fight in Grand Tours.”
For Gregori, the focus should not be on a subjective feeling of superiority, but on the numbers and the consistency of winning across multiple disciplines—a hallmark of both Merckx and Pogačar.
Pogačar, for his part, has maintained his characteristic composure in the face of the “overrated” label, simply stating: “I evaluate myself. If someone overrates me, it doesn’t bother me. If someone underrates me, it doesn’t bother me either. It doesn’t change anything in my life.”
The contrasting reactions—the fiery, ego-driven critique versus the calm, evidence-based defense—only further highlight why Tadej Pogačar is the defining, polarizing figure in World Cycling today.