Tadej Pogacar has delivered his first public response to the fierce criticism levelled at him by Roger De Vlaeminck, breaking his silence during an appearance on Rai Sport Radiocorsa.De Vlaeminck had made headlines earlier this year for a blistering attack on the four-time Tour de France winner. Speaking in typically uncompromising fashion, the former Paris-Roubaix specialist dismissed the growing mythology around Pogacar with striking bluntness, saying: “Tadej Pogacar isn’t fit to lace Eddy Merckx’s shoes! If I were in the peloton he wouldn’t be dropping me.”
He also labelled Pogacar “overrated”, remarks that quickly became a talking point across the cycling world.
Asked for the first time about De Vlaeminck’s assessment, Pogacar declined to engage in any back-and-forth. He offered only a brief, composed response. “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 contrast between the tone of De Vlaeminck’s original words and Pogacar’s quiet reply is striking. Where the former delivered a fiery broadside, Pogacar kept the focus entirely on his own outlook, offering no counter-argument and no commentary on the claims themselves.
A clash of eras without escalation
De Vlaeminck’s comments sparked debate largely because of who they came from. A rider renowned for his forthright views and fierce loyalty to the Merckx era, he has long been one of Belgian cycling’s most unfiltered voices. Pogacar, however, has chosen not to prolong the discussion.
He neither challenges nor engages with the comparisons — he simply makes clear that outside opinions have no bearing on how he evaluates his career.
By remaining restrained and avoiding any escalation, Pogacar shifts attention back to his racing rather than any war of words with one of the sport’s most outspoken figures.