{"id":68974,"date":"2025-08-14T12:20:06","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T12:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/68974\/"},"modified":"2025-08-14T12:20:06","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T12:20:06","slug":"youd-have-to-combine-pogacar-van-der-poel-cavendish-evenepoel-to-surpass-my-dad-axel-merckx-certain-about-cyclings-g-o-a-t","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/68974\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cYou\u2019d have to combine Pogacar, Van der Poel, Cavendish & Evenepoel to surpass my dad\u201d \u2014 Axel Merckx certain about cycling\u2019s G.O.A.T."},"content":{"rendered":"

In the current era of cycling, Tadej Pogacar<\/a> is frequently hailed as the new benchmark, a rider with the potential to rewrite history. Yet Axel Merckx<\/a>, son of the legendary Eddy Merckx<\/a>, remains measured in his assessment, casting a cautious eye over the Slovenian prodigy\u2019s rise.<\/p>\n

Speaking to Het Nieuwsblad, Axel Merckx draws a clear line between raw talent and enduring greatness. \u201cFor a very long time, people have tried to find someone to rival my father,\u201d he explains. \u201cUntil now, that was nonsense, but Pogacar is as strong as my father was in his best years. The question is whether this young man can repeat that performance year after year, like my father did. And will he ever break the hour record, like my father?\u201d<\/p>\n

This emphasis on longevity and versatility strikes at the heart of what defines a true all-time great. Winning races is one thing; sustaining dominance across seasons and disciplines is quite another.<\/p>\n


\nAxel elaborates on this point when discussing the broader scope of cycling\u2019s challenges. \u201cThe Tour de France<\/a> is one thing,\u201d he says, \u201cbut you also have the Classics. Maybe Tadej will win the Tour more than five times, but will he also win Milano-Sanremo<\/a> seven times and Li\u00e8ge\u2013Bastogne\u2013Li\u00e8ge five times, like my father? That\u2019s doubtful.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is here that Axel\u2019s loyalty to his father\u2019s legacy shines brightest. He does not simply see cycling greatness as the sum of victories but as a tapestry woven from multiple threads \u2014 the ability to conquer both Grand Tours and Classics with equal mastery.<\/p>\n

The most telling statement, however, comes in Axel\u2019s defence of Eddy Merckx\u2019s unparalleled status. He asserts: \u201cMathieu van der Poel as a spring classics specialist, Tadej Pogacar as an all-rounder, Mark Cavendish<\/a> as a sprinter, and Remco Evenepoel<\/a> as a time trialist \u2014 four incredible champions \u2014 are each superior in their own domain, but you\u2019d have to combine them all to surpass my dad.\u201d<\/p>\n

This comparison perfectly captures the unique breadth of Eddy Merckx\u2019s talent. While today\u2019s stars often dominate specific facets of the sport, Merckx\u2019s legacy rests on his extraordinary versatility \u2014 excelling in sprints, climbs, time trials, and classics alike.<\/p>\n

Axel\u2019s perspective serves as a potent reminder amid the excitement surrounding cycling\u2019s current superstars. Pogacar may be rewriting parts of the record books, but the full measure of greatness remains a tall order, demanding consistency, range, and a body of work few have matched.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the current era of cycling, Tadej Pogacar is frequently hailed as the new benchmark, a rider with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58508,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,82],"class_list":["post-68974","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cycling","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68974","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68974"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68974\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}