At just 26 years old, Tadej Pogacar has surged into 11th place on the all time ProCyclingStats (PCS) rankings as of May 23, 2025. The Slovenian phenom made a six-place leap up the standings, placing himself just one spot away from the top ten legends of the sport. It’s a staggering ascent achieved in a handful of seasons, and it’s made even more astonishing by how young he still is.
Pogacar’s 1560.5 point total essentially puts him level with Fausto Coppi, one of the most legendary figures in cycling history. For long-time fans of the sport, seeing Pogacar’s name on the same page as Merckx, Hinault, and Bartali is not just surprising, it’s thrilling. It shows we are witnessing true greatness, and perhaps the greatest rider we will ever see.
It provokes a compelling question: how does this young superstar’s trajectory stack up against the all time greats, and what might his legacy become if he keeps climbing?
To understand what this means, context is everything. PCS rankings are less about understanding algorithms and more about appreciating what consistent excellence looks like over a rider’s career. Being 11th all-time at 26 years old is a testament to how complete Pogacar’s palmarès already is. The list above him reads like a cycling Mount Rushmore, and catching up to them will require him maintaining this level for years to come.
But so far, Pogi is showing no signs of slowing down.
Take Eddy Merckx, perched at number one with a mind boggling 3856.7 PCS points. Known as “The Cannibal,” Merckx’s career was defined by an insatiable hunger to win everything, from Grand Tours to one-day classics, to world titles too. He collected 525 wins throughout his career including 11 Grand Tour titles and all five Monuments, most more than once. Merckx was the gold standard of dominance, and it’s no surprise his points total is nearly double the next rider.
And then there’s Sean Kelly, the king of consistency. Second on the PCS list with 2172.3 points, Kelly didn’t conquer Grand Tours the way Merckx did, but his decade plus of success in the classics and week-long stage races is unmatched. His seven consecutive Paris-Nice victories and nine Monument wins reflect a rider who showed up strong from February to October.
Third is Francesco Moser, the Italian legend with 273 wins to his name. His three consecutive Paris-Roubaix titles, Giro d’Italia victory, and Hour Record in 1984 shows just what a range of abilities he had. Moser was not the mountain man, but he was unbeatable on flat and cobbled terrain. He also embraced technological innovation at a time when it wasn’t the norm and used it to carve out victories in races where raw power and aerodynamic efficiency mattered most, and he certainly would’ve been a legend in today’s peloton too.
