The man cycling has spent half a century calling its greatest ever has handed the title over.
In Anatomy of a G.O.A.T., a new documentary premiering across Eurosport 2, TNT Sports and HBO Max on Saturday 7 November, Eddy Merckx places Tadej Pogačar above himself.
“He’s bringing back a kind of cycling we had forgotten. He is now above me,” Merckx says in the film, according to the official Warner Bros. Discovery Sports announcement.
Alberto Contador reaches the same conclusion.
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“I believe Tadej Pogačar is the best cyclist of all-time,” the Spaniard says in the documentary.
Built on data, not just reverence
The 45-minute film is split into five chapters and leans on new performance data from the Whoop band to explain Pogačar’s physiology. Interviewees include the Slovenian’s parents Mirko and Marjeta, former coach Iñigo San Millán, team-mate Matteo Trentin and sports scientist Jean-Benoît Morin.
Geraint Thomas adds a lighter note. The Welshman recalls riding next to Pogačar at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, pushing more than 400 watts, when the Slovenian struck up a casual chat.
“But he has another gear or two than me, that’s for sure,” Thomas says.
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Pogačar is interviewed at length.
“As long as you enjoy doing this sport, the results will come,” he says in the film.
Level with Merckx on five Tours
In July, Pogačar won his fifth Tour de France, drawing level on the all-time list with Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain. He finished 6 minutes 26 seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel and took five stage wins along the way.
At 27 at the time of that fifth victory, he became the youngest rider to reach the mark. He turned 28 before the documentary’s announcement.
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Merckx himself won 11 Grand Tours in his career, five of them at the Tour de France, according to the broadcaster’s announcement. Pogačar now matches that Tour tally at an age when Merckx was still racing.
Where to watch
Anatomy of a G.O.A.T. airs on Eurosport 2 at 1:50pm CET on Saturday, with TNT Sports 1 carrying the premiere at 3:15pm GMT. It is also available on-demand on HBO Max.
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