In the event of a third coronation in the Tour de France, which starts on Friday and of which he is the great favorite, the Slovenian would join the "King Eddy", the only one so far to have won his first three Big Loops.

Bernard Hinault as Laurent Fignon had stumbled on the third after two first brilliant victories

The road to the Champs-Elysées is long, nearly 3,350 kilometers to be swept by the winds, shaken by the cobblestones and harassed by the passes, but nothing seems able to slow down the ascent of Pogacar, winner of the Strade Bianche after a solo 50 kilometer raid in March.

Each of his great successes is an opportunity for comparison with the biggest names in his sport.

He won the Tour of Lombardy in October?

This victory, after that in Liège-Bastogne-Liège in April, instantly propels him alongside Fausto Coppi and Eddy Merckx, the only two others to have won the Tour de France and two monuments the same year.

Without that it does not particularly interest him.

"I don't think so much about history," Pogacar repeated on Thursday.

"There's so much to experience in the present, I'm just trying to indulge myself by running."

Words feeding his image of a carefree boy with disheveled hair.

Yet "Pogi" seems limitless.

He pushed them back again in the spring by signing two top-5s in two other monuments, Milan-Sanremo (5th) and the Tour of Flanders (4th), where he each time played for victory.

By blowing up the race from the Cipressa, the penultimate difficulty, in the Primavera, then by being the most airy in the cobblestone mountains of Ronde.

"The New Merckx"

Less welcoming than those of the Tour of Flanders, the cobblestones of the 5th stage of the Tour de France between Lille and Arenberg on Wednesday do not disturb the serenity which is its signature.

"We must not stress too much and have confidence in ourselves, he believes. In fact, I am even looking forward to competing in this stage."

This will perhaps allow him to shatter his only limits.

First show that he has the ability to cope with the nervousness of this type of stage, fatal to Chris Froome, defending champion forced to retire in 2014 after repeated falls.

Then, if he flew over the disjointed blocks of sandstone in the North, it would become conceivable to imagine him one day winning Paris-Roubaix, the last monument that seemed beyond his reach.

Once again, he would find attached to this feat, Eddy Merckx, the only winner of the Tour having conquered these five greatest classics.

In the meantime, the Belgian champion has already dubbed him during a meeting in the fall.

According to the words of the Slovenian comet in L'Equipe, the greatest cyclist of all time would have slipped to him: "With Tadej, I think we really have the new Merckx".

These words say a lot, the "Cannibal" being reluctant to find a successor, Remco Evenepoel knows something about it.

Only Lance Armstrong had once had the favor of "King Eddy" who recanted once the Texan fell.

Still, the road is still long to Paris, 3,350 kilometers, and the prize list of + Pogi + still far from that of Eddy.

© 2022 AFP