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Tadej Pogacar's five Tour de France wins spark debate on his place among cycling's all-time greats

Tadej Pogacar, a 27-year-old Slovenian cyclist, recently secured his fifth Tour de France victory, joining an elite group of riders including Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain. This achievement has led to a debate among cycling enthusiasts and professionals, with rivals Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel calling him the greatest cyclist of all time. While Merckx was previously widely considered the best, Pogacar's emergence has intensified discussions. Pogacar has won six Grand Tours in total, the fewest among the five-time Tour winners, but he is still actively competing and has the potential to surpass the Grand Tour totals of Indurain and Anquetil. He also achieved his first and fifth Tour wins at a younger age than the others. Although he has not completed the Grand Slam of Grand Tours, having finished third in his only Vuelta a Espana appearance at age 20, his dominance suggests he could win it in the future. In terms of dominance, Pogacar's largest Tour de France winning margin was 6 minutes 26 seconds in 2026, which is less than the margins of Merckx, Anquetil, and Hinault in some of their victories, but his overall control in his four most recent wins is noted. Pogacar's all-terrain ability, including 13 Monument victories, places him second only to Merckx's 19. While Anquetil and Indurain were known for pure power, Pogacar's attacking style is likened to Merckx and Hinault. Despite the difficulty of comparing athletes across differ