He's certainly no stranger to such outbursts, but this time Roger De Vlaeminck has taken a stand against the elite of world cycling and has, in effect, criticized the best riders of the moment.

The Belgian, winner of four Roubaixes, three Sanremos, and a whopping 22 Giro stages, first lashed out at the current world champion: " Pogacar can't even reach Merckx 's ankle. If I were 22 today, he wouldn't be able to outdistance me." The only rider De Vlaeminck considers superior is Eddy Merckx, which is why, in his opinion, he has never managed to compete for victory at the Tour de France.

The 78-year-old then focused on Mathieu Van der Poel : "Great rider, of course," he admitted, "but he can't climb, he can't do time trials, and he can't even sprint..."

Finally, he also spoke (badly) of his compatriot Evenepoel , defining him as 'theatrical and arrogant'.