Seven-time Milan-San Remo winner Eddy Merckx has joined the chorus of those praising Tadej Pogačar for the resourcefulness and determination he showed in finally securing a triumph in La Primavera, but continues to argue that comparisons between his era and that of the Slovenian remain pointless.
Countless column inches and internet debates have been made contrasting Pogačar's and Merckx's capacity for racking up the wins in the biggest events cycling can offer, with the Slovenian's latest victory only adding more fuel to that long-running discussion.
However, in an interview in La Gazzetta dello Sport on Sunday, Merckx said that he believed that the debate was a futile one, as the eras were so different.
Asked if he could call Pogačar the new Eddy Merckx, Merckx responded, "No, it makes no sense to do that. He's simply Pogačar, the best racer in the world right now. And he has been for several seasons.
"He's still not yet 38, and so it seems he's got a lot of time ahead of him in the sport. And he's started this season better than before."
What he did at San Remo, Merckx said to La Gazzetta dello Sport was "Great. Amazing. It left me speechless with admiration.It was one of his most amazing wins to date."
Merckx insisted that comparisons were pointless because his era and Pogacar's were so different, pointing to the number of race days – riders did considerably more in his time – compared to the limited amount of competition for Pogačar and plenty of other racers. Just doing one event before San Remo, as Pogačar did, "would have been inconceivable in my day."
"Cycling today is light years from what it was in my time. How can you compare two such different worlds? How can you say who was the strongest?" Merckx asked rhetorically.
Merckx also heaped praise on Pogačar by saying that the Slovenian champion had known exactly what strategy to adopt given the setbacks without ever losing control of the race.
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG star secured his first ever San Remo despite a bad crash just before the Cipressa, which led to a furious pursuit to regain a position to blast off on the crucial second last climb of the race. He then managed to shed one of the last two of his remaining opponents, double San Remo champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) on the Poggio before narrowly outsprinting Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) for the win.
Of all the key moments, Merckx said "the most important was that fall before the Cipressa. Who would not have been discouraged? Who would not have considered San Remo lost, or at least badly affected? He didn't. His reaction was that of a real champion."
Dropping Van der Poel was a surprise, but again if that happened, that was to Pogačar's credit, Merckx said, and so, too was not losing time to Pidcock on the descent, given the Briton's ability on the downhill.
"He could have lost the race there, but he stayed fully on board and that showed he was on an exceptionally good day," Merckx pointed out.
Last but not least was the ability to outsprint Pidcock, "racing from the front, with strength and conviction. It was just like Van der Poel's last year, you remember that?"
"If you do a sprint like that, there's no doubt possible that you're the strongest. I could race up Via Roma with my eyes shut, it's a slightly uphill gradient and sprints on terrain like that never lie."
"He deserved that win," Merckx concluded, "the only strange thing was that he hadn't already managed to do it."
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