Bernard Hinault says it is not impossible for the UAE Team Emirates Racers not only to become the first rider in history to win the Tour de France, but also to push the current all-time record even further.

He himself made a prediction during a series of celebrations for his 70th birthday ・ a total that only the 5 Tour de France winners ・ the Frenchman, Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil and Miguel Indurain have achieved so far in the history of the sport.

Inaud also told Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport that he believes Pogagnard will be the first racer to win three grand tours in a year and that he has not seen a French rider who can now win the Tour de France.

Ino said, except for the usual caveats of crashes and illnesses, "Poganyar would be able to take all sorts of records. Who"- he asked rhetorically - "Could you stop him?"

To celebrate his 70th birthday, Ino hosted a dinner for 130 guests in his home region of Brittany, including Tour de France winner Joop Zoetemelk and former cycling stars like Bernard Thévenet. Eddie Merck, who is due to turn 80 next year, was also invited but could not attend.

Personally, Ino revealed in the same interview that he himself is now using E-bikes for his training. However, the Frenchman added that he is keenly following the current racing scene, even though he quit the role of MC for Tour de France organizer Aso almost a decade ago.

When asked about his own similarities to modern cycling, the Eddie Mercks era, Inno said, "Like us, today's top-level riders don't ask too many questions. They start the season and end the flat out and they end it the same way.

Whether that means that Poganyar will review Inno and Merck's achievements in sports, Inno said, "If there are no unforeseen circumstances, he will do it without problems." What he did has already spoken for itself.

"In my opinion, most of all, what impresses me is that he is 26 years old and has already won 3 tours. And what he lost, he is finished second. It's not out of the question to think he can reach at least 6 wins [tour wins].

Enault was the last Frenchman to win the tour in 1985, and he now claimed that the French rider did not have the necessary abilities to win the tour. "My 'successor' may be born now, but he's not riding a bike yet," he insisted.

Asked from La Gazzetta dello Sport if he still has the notion of being a cycling legend, Ino replied with his own question - "But are you really sure that now I'm alone?"

"I was one of the [legends] of my own time, as well as Merckx, and in general each period of cycling history had a reference point before me: Coppi, Bartali, Anquetil, Bobet and then Indurain. Each person, at a certain moment, has his own place. "But I have no regrets. I quit racing early at the age of 32, but at a time when my desire to continue had faded, I was lucky enough to be able to decide for myself. Not everyone understood it at the time - in fact, I would say with almost anyone.

And because of all his belief that Poganyard "will finish ahead of me and Merck" - the winners of the most spectacular tours in history, at 11 and 10 respectively - Inno said he personally did not want to go to the 6 Tour de France record.

"No," he said, "If I wanted to get a record, I would have kept racing." And that's what I didn't do."