Is it too early to begin the Tadej Pogacar-Eddy Merckx comparisons? At this point, probably not.
At just 23 years old, Pogacar already has two Tour de France general classification titles to his name. He is the youngest cyclist to have won consecutive Tours. And Merckx himself is calling the Slovenian star "campionissimo", the champion of champions.
"It's becoming difficult to find the words to describe what this young guy does. It's spectacular and formidable. Pogacar is a campionissimo," Merckx told Gazzetta dello Sport. "Considering he's just 23, it's incredible what he's able to do. There's a tendency to start winning at a younger age these days but what he's doing is unique."
Should Pogacar win again in the 2022 general classification, he would become only the sixth cyclist to win the race three years in a row.
MORE: Watch the Tour de France live with fuboTV (free trial)
Below is everything you need to know about the 2022 Tour de France, including schedule, stage breakdown and how to watch the race.
NBC will have exclusive streaming rights to the 2022 Tour de France in the U.S. Most days, NBC's streaming service Peacock will begin with exclusive coverage of the race before it shifts over to USA Network, but on the final stage, NBC will carry the end of the race starting at 2 p.m. ET as cyclists begin to arrive at the Champs-Elysees.
Those hoping to stream the race can find it on Peacock or on fuboTV, which offers a free trial.
MORE: U.S. riders in Tour de France 2022: Sepp Kuss, Brandon McNulty, Quinn Simmons and more
The 2022 Tour de France will begin in Copenhagen, Denmark, for an individual time trial with two more days of flat racing in Denmark before the race transfers over to France. Then, on July 5, cyclists will depart from Dunkerque. There are two rest days and 21 total days of biking.
The 2022 Tour de France will run a total of 3,349.8 kilometers, or 2,081.47 miles. Last year's race was slightly longer at 3,414.4 kilometers, or 2,163.7 miles. There will be seven hilly stages, six flat stages, six mountain stages and two individual time trials. Of the six mountain stages, there will be five summit finishes.
There are 22 teams in the 2022 Tour de France, with eight riders per team for a total of 176 cyclists in the field. Last year, Bahrain Victorious won the team classification, snapping a run of three straight victories by Movistar Team.
Tadej Pogacar is looking for his third straight win in the Tour de France, which would make him the sixth cyclist to win the event in at least three consecutive years. The others are Louison Bobet (1953-55), Jacques Anquetil (1961-64), Eddy Merckx (1969-72), Miguel Induráin (1991-95) and Chris Froome (2015-17).
Lance Armstrong won seven straight races from 1999 to 2005, but his victories have been vacated due to doping.
*Alberto Contador won the race, but failed a drug test later
**Floyd Landis won the race, but failed a drug test later
***Lance Armstrong has had all his titles vacated due to doping. No winner was named in his place.