At 22, Tadej Pogacar will win, barring an improbable accident, his second consecutive Tour de France.

An impressive performance that should appeal to others, as the young Slovenian is dominating, and this on several grounds.

DECRYPTION

He is not yet 23 years old, but Tadej Pogacar is about to enter the restricted club of double Tour de France winners.

With more than five minutes ahead of his runner-up Jonas Vingegaard, the UAE rider is guaranteed, barring an accident, to cross the finish line on the Champs-Elysées in yellow at the end of a Grande Boucle he has had. outrageously dominated, especially in the mountains.

And with his greedy appetite for victories (six stages on the Tour since last year, the prestigious classic Liège-Bastogne-Liège in April), the sequel to the young Slovenian prodigy could be rich in success. 

"He's ready to win yet more rounds"

But what does the "Cannibal", Eddy Merckx, to whom Pogacar is already starting to be compared?

Questioned by the RTBF, the Belgian legend describes an "exceptional rider", who is "ready to win yet other Tours de France".

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But for the French Bernard Thevenet, double winner of the Tour and former opponent of Merckx, this comparison is not relevant.

"It's hard to compare him to him, because Merckx has won everywhere," he recalls.

"He could win Paris-Roubaix, win stages in the sprint, in the time trial, in the mountains."

For him, "runners have become much less versatile than 40 years ago". 

"You shouldn't get too carried away"

Dominator in the mountains, at ease against the clock, endowed with a great capacity for recovery, Taddej Pogacar is perhaps only on the cusp of a huge career.

But Bernard Thévenet does not want to ignite.

"All hopes are permitted for him," he agrees.

But, he adds immediately, "we saw not very long ago a boy like Bernal, to whom one predicted four or five victories in a row ... And finally, until then, he did not. only one. We must not get too carried away ".

After his victory in 2019, the Colombian Egan Bernal had indeed experienced a big disappointment on the following edition, marked by a retirement in the Alps, before regaining form by winning the last Tour of Italy. 

In any case, Pogacar's track record already commands respect, or sometimes questions. Barely arrived in Paris, he will travel to Tokyo, where he will aim for Olympic gold next Saturday.