Hinault sees special bond between van der Poel and Pogacar: "This is the image sport should project"

We have often seen Pogacar ride with dominance, but never as dominant as he was during the World Championships in Zurich last September. The Slovenian attacked impressively, going over 100 kilometers, and rode to the rainbow jersey. Hinault enjoyed that immensely. "The others didn't attack. He didn't hesitate and could repeat the same thing every time. Because if you are powerful, if the course suits you and you excel over the others, you might as well do it again," the Frenchman said in an interview with L'Équipe, looking ahead to the challenging course of the 2027 World Championships in France.

Pogacar reminds Hinault of better times, like racing with Eddy (Merckx, ed.) and other former riders who also had faith in themselves. "It is a dream for anyone who loves cycling. It is a dream to see riders who attack without hesitation, observe their opponents for a moment, and then suddenly go full throttle." Pogacar did that again in Paris-Roubaix, but unfortunately, he crashed. "But that's part of the race. Otherwise, we would have had an extraordinary final between those two (Mathieu van der Poel, ed.), and I'm sure one of them would have been dropped," said the former Paris-Roubaix winner.

Hinault sees a change due to the combativeness of contemporary cycling. "It's true that you used to say to yourself at home: I'll watch the last twenty kilometers, but I already know how it will end. There was no excitement. Whereas today, there is a lot more of that." The Frenchman also sees that something has changed during the Tour de France. "If you look at the riders riding at the front, you see no longer the teammates fighting each other but the leaders. These were team races in the past, and the leader only appeared in the final kilometers."

The fact that Pogacar has been competitive in Italian races from the beginning of the season until the end also reminds Hinault of the 'good old days.' "He can race at the beginning, halfway through the season, and still at the end of the season. Pogacar is the one who most resembles old warriors like Merckx and me," the five-time Tour winner praises the Slovenian world champion.

Hinault also recognizes the achievements of the magnificent van der Poel, as well as those of Pogacar. The Frenchman sees a beautiful bond between the top riders and their sporting achievements. "That's the beauty of sport. During the race, you get nervous, but when the race is over, everything is okay. You beat me, but tomorrow I will beat you; that's the beauty of it. I think it's wonderful when we see them hugging on the podium. This is the image sport should project," the former cyclist concludes.