Is Tadej Pogacar ahead of Eddy Merckx at the same age? We checked what the statistics say

“Flatter and boring at the same time”. Tadej Pogacar is beginning to be annoyed to be compared to Eddy Merckx, when he answers yet another question about his illustrious Belgian predecessor RTBFthe Plat Country public television.

While the 2025 edition of the Tour de France ends Sunday July 27 in Paris, the yellow jersey, already a triple winner of the race not even 27 years old, nevertheless attracts this comparison, because of its insatiable appetite for the stages of the Grande Boucle and its XXL list on very varied terrains. In the past two years, nothing less than the former winners Jan Ullrich and Pedro Delgado, the former runners who have become managers Jonathan Vaughters or Cédric Vasseur, in addition to Eddy Merckx himself, have risked this comparison over their interviews.

The “cannibal” dubbed his successor in The teamafter his incredible victory at the 2024 world championships, where the Slovenian attacked 100 km from the finish: “It is obvious that Pogacar is now above me.” Do the figures confirm this impression?

Obviously, this statistical approach has limits: it says nothing about adversity, material or conditions of each test. But all the same. “Pogi” is the only runner active to accumulate more than 100 victories, and on land as varied as the mountain, stage races, classics and time trial. A voracity which recalls that of Eddy Merckx, all-terrain of the great era. In this closed club of 25 “centenarians” in terms of victories, identified by the site ProCyclingStats Who is authoritative in terms of statistical professional cycling statistics, we thus find exclusive sprinters such as Mark Cavendish and Mario Cipollini, respectively 165 and 163 successes. But also more eclectic profiles like Bernard Hinault or Laurent Jalabert, who could sprint and embark on mountain raids. But when the meters are stopped at 27, only Merckx is clearly above the Slovenian, with 187 victories against 103.

At this stage, “Pogi” still has a substantial delay on the incredible list of “cannibal”. At the same age of 26 years, 10 months and six days, the Belgian did better than Slovenian in almost all areas. Tadej Pogacar, who is preparing to register his name for the fourth time in the list of the Grande Boucle, should therefore have one more victory than the Belgian. But having been born in June 1945, Eddy Merckx won his fourth round at just 27 years old, during the 1972 edition. In addition, “the other king of the Belgians” already had two towers of Italy in his coat of arms, against one for his young challenger.

“Pogi” will also have to continue to win at a frantic pace to tickle the total of 279 Merckx victories during his career, stopped at 33. While we imagined it insatiable on the big loop – to the point To hunt the record of eight stages victories on the same trick, there again held by Merckx-the Slovenian seems to have shown leniency by granting the Dutch victory twice Thymen Arensman in Superbagnères then at La Plagne, without forgetting Valentin Parentre at the top of the Ventoux. Tadej Pogacar seemed to be winning in the legs (he even broke the record for the climb of the climb). “I believe that if he was a cannibal, he might have attacked earlier and tried to win the stage, I believe that today, he is the opposite of a cannibal”confided its sports director, Mauro Gianetti, on the evening of the Pyrenean stage won by the Dutchman of the Ineos team.

In the Merckx camp, too, comparisons are refuted, like Rodrigo Beenkens, the cycling specialist of the RTBF : “Simply see the number of Eddy's races per year compared to that of Pogacar. Eddy did not spend his New Year eating in the restaurant. (…) He was on the slopes, he was doing the six days.” His unrivaled final record, 11 big laps, 64 stage victories, three world championships, 31 classics including 19 monuments (the most prestigious day races, such as Paris-Roubaix or Milan-San Remo), in addition to 98 successes on track, had inspired this comment at Tadej Pogacar, Guest of the “Drive” podcast fin 2024 : “It's incredible. This is something that seems unattainable. I think it is not possible to win as much as it.” He has ten years left to outdo the legend of legends.