Tadej Pogacar is ‘the greatest by far’ after latest record-breaking exploits at UCI Road World Championships 2025
Published 28/09/2025 at 19:27 GMT+1
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Tadej Pogacar is the greatest cyclist of all time. That is according to Adam Blythe, who was talking after the Slovenian defended his world title. The success put Pogacar in rarefied company as the only man to twice win the Tour de France and the road race world title in the same year. The other? Eddy Merckx. Pogacar stands alone as the first man to achieve the feat back-to-back.
Highlights: Pogacar defends road race world title with dominant win
Video credit: TNT Sports
Tadej Pogacar has already established himself as the greatest cyclist of all time, believes TNT Sports expert Adam Blythe.
The 27-year-old further furnished his palmares when he eviscerated the field in Kigali, Rwanda to win back-to-back world titles. The race followed the same pattern as last year’s Zurich race, with the Slovenian making his move more than 100km out from the finish.
Given his domination over his peers, the conversation inevitably turned to his place in the pantheon of greats during The Breakaway.
Orla Chennaoui put it to Blythe that Pogacar was - alongside Eddy Merckx - in the top two in history.
But Blythe, analysing the race alongside Dani Rowe, insists that Pogacar is peerless across eras.
"He is the greatest already," began Blythe. "By far.
"In Eddy Merckx’s era, it was a different time. Now, everything is so concentrated. You are either a Tour de France rider, or you are a Classics rider or you are a sprinter. He can do everything. Literally everything.
"Merckx could as well, but that was in an era when everyone was doing everything. This guy is going against Tour de France specialists, he goes against the best Classics guys. Not just the best now, but the best in a long time, like Mathieu van der Poel, and he is putting them to bed.
"For me, he is the best rider who has ever lived a long, long way. I don’t think we are ever going to see someone like him again, not in my lifetime for sure."
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Watch as Pogacar makes history with world title success
Video credit: TNT Sports
- Pogacar serves up another 100km solo attack to retain rainbow jersey
- Massive upset as Vallieres shuts out favourites to win title
His dominance left Rowe struggling to articulate his continued brilliance.
"It is unbelievable," said Rowe.
"We say it every year that we are running out of superlatives. And I feel we actually have.
"105 professional victories. And they are not just in small, mediocre races. They are in the biggest bike races in the world."
The win leaves Pogacar’s one-day classic record in 2025 reading: 11 starts, nine podiums and five wins, and Blythe added that the rest of the peloton are struggling to keep up.
"Everyone has had to be a lot better," added Blythe.
"It is not just in the Tour de France, it is not just in the Classics. It is everything. The level he was at two or three years ago, everyone is still trying to get to that.
"He has changed cycling massively. He is just a phenomenon. He is the best in the world, even without that jersey on.
"He is the standard everyone strives to be."
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Pogacar 'the GOAT by far'
Video credit: TNT Sports
Pogacar secured victory with a trademark long attack, and he said it was his season goal to defend the title.
"It was my big goal of the season to defend the jersey," Pogacar said. "The course was one of the toughest that I did in the Worlds, so it was a big goal and I'm really happy that I ticked it off."
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