'The greatest of all time' - Armstrong hails Pogacar after fifth Tour de France win
Lance Armstrong has called Tadej Pogačar the greatest cyclist of all time. Speaking on The Move after the Slovenian's fifth Tour de France triumph in Paris on Sunday, Armstrong told his co-hosts that Pogačar's versatility across every terrain and every race put him above every rider in the sport's history, including Armstrong himself, whose seven consecutive Tour de France titles were later stripped.
Make us your Google favourite
Armstrong claimed victory in seven consecutive editions of the Tour between 1999 and 2005. He was later stripped of the results in 2012 following the United States Anti-Doping Agency's investigation into systematic doping across his career.
Armstrong was given a lifetime ban from all sanctioned sports and admitted to doping in a 2013 interview with Oprah Winfrey. He has since built a media presence in cycling through The Move podcast and NBC/Peacock's Tour de France coverage.
Speaking with George Hincapie, Johan Bruyneel and 2012 Tour champion Bradley Wiggins on The Move, Armstrong pointed to Pogačar's ability to win across every terrain and every race as the reason he stands above every rider before him.
"This kid is the greatest of all time. I know you go back as far as you want to go. He can do it all. You saw it all the way up until today."
Armstrong went on to argue that no discipline or race type is out of Pogačar's reach.
"You put the numbers on his back, doesn't matter if it's flat and cobbled, doesn't matter if it's in the mountains, doesn't matter what time of year it is, doesn't matter if it's on the white roads of Strade Bianche. He wants to race. He is simply the greatest of all time."
Pogačar's fifth Tour victory in Paris equals the record held by Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil and Miguel Indurain.
Armstrong argued the Slovenian belongs above all of them, and acknowledged the way in which the debate around historical champions and records has evolved.
"I get, you know, people always, not always but oftentimes people will want to talk to me about my career and in my history with the Tour and where I stand. It doesn't matter. This guy is the goat, right. He is. And I said this as we were watching the race today and watching him just be so dominant and so in control."
Join our WhatsApp service
Be first to know. Subscribe to Domestique on WhatsApp for free and stay up to date with all the latest from the world of cycling.
