CyclistI only have admiration for Pogaar. I think he can beat more of my records: Eddy Merckx interviewCyclist: Fifty years have passed since your last race victory, yet you still hold the record for the most race wins in a pro career. How many of those races do you actually remember?Eddy Merckx: I remember a lot of races, but not all 525 wins, of course. I do remember the most important ones. My first Tour de France, for example. My first Milan-San Remo in 1966, Paris-Roubaix in 1968, my Hour recordThats pretty good going. Do you ever think about how those races played out?No. I try to remember those races I did in the past, but its not something I look back on every day. I dont live in the past. Im watching the current racing, not thinking about the old.Is there anything you regret in your career? Any races you wish you had added to your palmars?The only thing I regret is the crash I had at the 1975 Tour de France. I suffered a double fracture to my jawbone, and that cut my career short.I never won Paris-Tours, but I dont miss that. I reckon Ive won enough races to be satisfied with what Ive achieved.Youve previously cited your Tour de France victory in 1969 as a career highlight. Are there any other wins you look back on with real pride?Of course, the Hour record 25th October 1972. I dont remember all the dates but I remember that one. I should mention the World Championships too. The first Tour de France with the rainbow jersey on my shoulders felt very special.Given the sheer number of races you won in your career, did you ever get bored with winning?The opposite. It never bored me. Instead it motivated me to try and win more. You see, I did something I loved as a job, and what I loved was winning. So for me, when I went to a race, it was to win. I wasnt there to just take part. Thats why I loved what I did back then. It still gives me pleasure to know that riders see me as the man who inspired them to win races.BreitlingThese days riders are signing contracts worth millions of euros per year. Do you ever feel hard done by that you never got the same financial reward in your time?We dont do sport for the money. Not at all. We do it for passion. They earn much more today than I did, but I probably earned more than the riders before me. These things change with time and I dont have any envy about that. Money is not the motivating factor for us to get into sports.Lets say you were 20 years old right now. Would you want to be a pro rider in the current generation?Absolutely, but Id like to race more than todays riders. I enjoyed racing, but these current pros seem to be doing it less and less.What type of rider do you think youd be in the modern peloton?I think Id be both a stage racer and a one-day rider a complete rider like Tadej Pogaar. I dont know if I would be stronger or weaker than him, but thats the type of rider I think Im closest to.Pogaar has been touted as the next man to take over your role as cyclings GOAT greatest of all time. Do you think hes similar to you at all?I think hes got the same ambition. When he goes to a race, hes there to win it. Hes like me in that sense hes not just there to show up.Hes a complete rider but the eras are different. We cant compare Tadej Pogaar and Eddy Merckx; its different now from what it was in my day.Do you think you could have beaten Pogaar in your prime?Ah, the question arises. I dont know if I could, but Id try. Id maybe beat him in a time-trial, but Im not sure if I could climb as well as him these days.You cant compare yesterday with today. Everything is different: the nutrition, the management, the kit.BreitlingDo you feel challenged when Pogaar breaks one of your long-standing records?The opposite. I only have admiration for Pogaar. It gives me lots of satisfaction to see him riding up the climbs with such ease. Im sure Pogaar can beat Mark Cavendishs stage-winning record. I think he can beat more of my records. Theyre meant to be broken, so the time will come.Which riders in the current peloton excite you the most?Pogaar, of course. Mathieu van der Poel is a super champion and so is Wout van Aert. I like Jonathan Milan, Jasper Philipsen, Evenepoel of course, and Vingegaard.I like it when these big riders do the one-day races Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix then the Grand Tours. I used to race 195 days a year. Nowadays the riders can only do 80 race days per year. I just wish theyd compete more often.It has been 50 years since a Belgian last won the Tour de France. Do you think Belgium will have to wait long for another Tour de France champion?At the moment theres nobody. Evenepoel can beat Pogaar against the clock, but he cant in a full Tour de France.Maybe in the future Belgium will have a rider like [Frances] Paul Seixas, who has the real qualities to improve in the years to come. Weve already seen he can come close to Pogaar, but currently theres just not a rider like Seixas for us to win the Tour de France.Do you consider yourself a legend?Yes I think Im a legend. When I look at the number of races I won during my career, its exceptional. Im not just someone from my era Im known around the cycling community. Breitling wouldnt have made a watch for me if I wasnt a legend.The post I only have admiration for Pogaar. I think he can beat more of my records: Eddy Merckx interview appeared first on Cyclist.