Tadej Pogacar’s peers are running out of superlatives. And now, three Grand Tour champions — Nairo Quintana, Egan Bernal and Vincenzo Nibali — have united in their belief that the Slovenian will continue to dominate cycling in 2026 and beyond.Speaking during the Giro de Rigo event in Colombia, in quotes collected by EFE, Quintana delivered the most striking verdict yet on the reigning Tour de France champion’s place in the sport.
“He would not just be one step above us, but two, because he is the man strongest in the entire history of competitive cycling,” Quintana said, adding that Pogacar has “no weaknesses” across terrain, race style or scenario.
The former Giro and Vuelta winner emphasised that even comparing his own prime years to Pogacar’s current level would leave him short.
Bernal and Nibali echo the sentiment
Bernal — himself a Tour and Giro champion — dismissed suggestions that next year’s Tour de France route has been designed to neutralise the UAE Team Emirates leader.
“Today Pogacar is the strongest rider in the world. Whether you put 100 kilometres of time-trials or any other kind of race, he will always be the favourite to win,” Bernal insisted, noting the 27-year-old still has many seasons ahead in which to build an all-time legacy.
Nibali, one of cycling’s few triple-Grand-Tour champions, went even further in his comparison, placing Pogacar alongside cycling’s most revered icon.
“After 30 years, another incredible rider has emerged. I think that right now, competing with him is very, very difficult,” Nibali said, drawing parallels with Eddy Merckx. In a further show of admiration, the Italian pointed to Pogacar’s astonishing consistency: “When he is supposedly having a bad day, he still finishes second or third in the race.”
Pogacar’s era shows no sign of slowing
From Monument classics to Grand Tours, Pogacar’s near-total command of the modern peloton has already reshaped the sport. With rivals as decorated as Nibali, Bernal and Quintana conceding the scale of his supremacy, expectation around 2026 — and the battles to come — is only accelerating.
If their assessments prove correct, cycling’s current era may not simply belong to Pogacar — it could be remembered as the era defined by him.