馃嚦馃嚘NamibiaSouthern Africa
Tadej Pogacar's five Tour de France wins spark debate on his place among cycling's all-time greats
via The Namibian3 min read
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
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Tadej Pogacar secured his fifth Tour de France title, matching the record held by Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain. The 27-year-old Slovenian expressed pride in achieving this "big goal." Pogacar won five stages and wore the yellow jersey since the sixth stage in the Pyrenees. He now has 26 career stage victories, placing him fourth all-time, and has spent 70 days in yellow, surpassing Indurain and Chris Froome. He is also the youngest rider to win five Tours and the first to finish on the podium seven years in a row, as well as the only rider to be on the podium in nine consecutive Grand Tours. The final stage, shortened to 88.7km due to wildfires, saw Mathieu van der Poel win after a breakaway with Pogacar. Van der Poel, a two-time world champion, held off a chasing group to win by half a bike length ahead of Jasper Philipsen and Mads Pedersen. Remco Evenepoel finished second overall, with Isaac Del Toro in third, becoming the first Mexican to reach the Tour podium. Dane Pedersen won the green jersey, Richard Carapaz of Ecuador claimed the King of the Mountains jersey and was voted most combative, and Del Toro also secured the white jersey for best young rider. This Tour was notable for being the first time in 302 Grand Tours that no rider from France, Italy, or Spain won a stage, with stage victories going to riders from Slovenia, Mexico, Ecuador, and Denmark. The peloton also set a new record for the fastest road stage, with the 11th sta
The Namibian Ports Authority Namport has rejected a N$4 billion proposal from Ghanaian businessman Jory Adu-Boahene and his Namibian partners to develop an oil and gas supply base at the Port of L眉deritz. Namport stated that Alpha Nautical Services Limited Anol, Adu-Boahene's company, did not meet the requirements for developing and operating the facility under a proposed design, build, own, operate, and transfer concession. Namport chief executive Andrew Kanime cited Anol's failure to demonstrate sufficient financial capacity, technical expertise, delivery capability, and operational experience. Anol, however, disputes these findings, asserting its financial, technical, and operational capacity, and highlighting its efforts to prioritize local content and compliance with Namibian ownership regulations. Adu-Boahene also noted that Anol initiated the project and invested significant capital, and questioned Namport's consistency, pointing to a similar project awarded to a 100% foreign entity. Namport also raised concerns about Anol's proposed site at Robert Harbour, stating it does not meet the requirements for offshore oil and gas activities due to insufficient water depth and technical challenges. The rejection follows alleged political pressure on Namport to approve the proposal, and sources suggest it may lead to an open competitive process for the strategic project.
Lando Norris, driving for McLaren, claimed his first victory of the season and 12th career win at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The 26-year-old Briton started from pole position and finished 15 seconds ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen. World championship leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes secured third place. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, both from Ferrari, finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Norris expressed satisfaction with his car's performance, stating it had "unbelievable" pace. Verstappen acknowledged the hard work required for his podium finish, while Antonelli described the race as tough but a good result before the break. The race began in high temperatures, with Ferrari opting for soft tires at the start, while most others used mediums. The event saw various tire strategies and incidents, including Oscar Piastri briefly leading and George Russell experiencing an anti-stall issue. McLaren's hopes for a 1-2 finish ended when Piastri retired due to gearbox problems, leading to a Virtual Safety Car deployment. Hamilton received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane.