Lance Armstrong and the cycling galácticos: “For me, the debate is over”

After almost every major Pogačar victory, the same GOAT debate resurfaces: who is the greatest cyclist of all time? Armstrong believes that discussion should now be put to bed once and for all after everything he has seen from the Slovenian in recent years.

“Listen, that debate has to stop. At least, for me, that discussion is over,” said the American. “This guy is so good — he is by far the greatest cyclist of all time. You can see it in the other riders, who already know how it is going to end. And these weren’t just ordinary riders, they were the galácticos,” he said, referring to Van der Poel, Evenepoel, Van Aert and Mads Pedersen.

“The only thing that can stop him is a crash or bad luck, but even that doesn’t stop him,” Armstrong added, referencing Milan-Sanremo, where Pogačar still made it back to the front and won after crashing shortly before the Cipressa. Last year he had already won his final four races of the season, meaning he is now unbeaten in seven straight races. “That’s crazy,” Armstrong said of Pogačar’s winning run, which has stretched for more than half a year.

Bruyneel agreed with his former leader. “The fact that he can dominate every race he rides in this way says enough. He doesn’t race that often, but whenever he lines up, it is to win,” the Belgian said after the Tour of Flanders.

“The way the top five came across the line one after another was a clear sign of just how hard this race really was. It truly became an elimination race, with everyone already on their limit just trying to still be there after the Molenberg.”

“That naturally creates a situation where everyone is trying to protect their own position,” continued the former sports director. “That is the tactic you see nowadays: everyone follows his own plan rather than everybody uniting against one rider.” In short, Bruyneel believes the focus is now on securing the best possible result, rather than putting riders in the ideal position in case something happens to Pogačar.