The Slovenian revealed that he spoke by phone with the Belgian legend just after crossing the finish line in Bergamo, on a day that marked him with his fifth consecutive victory in the Giro de Lombardia.
Photo: Agencies EFE – AFP
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This Saturday, in Bergamo, Tadej Pogacar won the Tour of Lombardyan unprecedented feat in more than a century of this Italian classic. But beyond his new demonstration of strength, the UAE Team Emirates champion experienced a special moment after crossing the finish line: a telephone conversation with Eddy Merckxthe myth to which everyone compares him and from which he prefers to keep his distance.
“Ernesto Colnago was at the finish line and received a call from Eddy. He gave me the phone and we were able to talk a little. It was really great,” Pogacar said in the post-race press conference, still with the sweat of the effort and the smile of someone who has just reached another summit.
The gesture had a particular symbolism. Ernesto Colnago93, was a Merckx mechanic on the historic Molteni team and his company manufactured the frame with which the Belgian set his hour record in 1972. Today, more than half a century later, Colnago is the bicycle supplier to UAE Team Emirates, the team that drives Pogacar in its dominance of modern cycling. In a way, the call closed a circle that unites three generations of sports history.
However, Pogacar is not a friend of comparisons. “I always hear that, the comparisons with Eddy Merckx, but I don't like it very much. You have to avoid comparing people all the time,” he explained calmly. The phrase has weight coming from someone who, at 27 years old, already has four Tour de France titles, ten victories in Monuments and a World Cup, a record that inevitably refers to that of the Belgian “Cannibal”.
And his 2025 season has been practically perfect: champion of the Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Lombardysecond in Paris-Roubaix, third in Milan-San Remo, winner of the Kigali World Championship and the European title, in addition to a new Tour de France in his showcase. Pogacar closed the year with what he himself defined as “the best season of my career.”
His dominance in Lombardy was another exhibition. He left alone with several kilometers remaining and crossed the finish line with 1'48'' advantage over Remco Evenepoel and more than three minutes on Michael Storer. With this, he equaled Fausto Coppi's five total victories, although he became the first to achieve them. consecutively in the same Monument. He also approached the legendary records of Roger De Vlaeminck (11) and Merckx himself (19).
Meanwhile, Egan Bernal once again showed signs of its resurgence. The Colombian from Ineos Grenadiers finished eighth, being the best Latin American of the day and confirming his return to the world stage after years of fighting injuries. “Egan has returned to being competitive in the big races,” celebrated his team.
Sergio Higuita (24º), One Rubio (25º) y Nairo Quintana (31st) completed the Colombian presence in the 'Classic of the dead leaves', while Germán Darío Gómez could not finish the test.
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