Eddy Merckx

Baron Eddy Merckx /'merks/ (born Edouard Louis Joseph Merckx on June 17, 1945 in Meensel-Kiezegem, Belgium) is considered by many to be the greatest cyclist of the 20th century and arguably of all-time. He is the five-time champion of the two most important races in professional cycling, the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, is one of only four cyclists to have won all three of the Grand Tours (Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España) in a career, and one of only two men to have won the Triple Crown of Cycling (the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and the World Cycling Championship in the same year). In his 13 year professional career, Merckx entered 1582 road races and won 525?a winning rate of 35.5%. http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/8230.0.html, and is one of only three riders (all Belgian) to have won all five Classic cycle races at least once during his career. He also won the season-long Super Prestige Pernod International competition a record seven consecutive times.

Racing career

In his Tour de France debut in 1969, Merckx won the yellow jersey (overall leader), the green jersey (best sprinter) and the red polka-dotted jersey ("King of the Mountains" - best climber in the mountain stages). No other cyclist has achieved this trifecta in the Tour de France, and only Laurent Jalabert has been able to match this feat at the grand tours level, in the 1995 Vuelta a Espana. If the young riders' white jersey (for best rider in the Tour that is under 25 years of age) had existed at that time, Merckx would have won that as well, as he had only just turned 24.

Related Topics:
Yellow jersey - Green jersey - Red polka-dotted jersey - Laurent Jalabert - Grand tours - Vuelta a Espana

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Merckx has been quoted in saying that his first Tour de France victory was his best, because it had followed his expulsion from the Giro d'Italia in that same year due to his alleged use of doping products. He was quoted in the 2002 Cycle Sport magazine as saying, "My first victory in the Tour de France in 1969 was my best one ever. It was a contrast to what the Italians did to me in the Giro a couple of months earlier. They tried to bribe me first, offered me some money, but when I refused to sell my personal chances they put dope in my bidon. I was suspended, but eventually was able to ride the Tour and I won it." A photo of him sobbing on a bed while interviewed graced the newspapers at the time, and the Belgian prince sent a private plane to retrieve him.

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Other racers called him the Cannibal because Merckx refused to ride tactically, preferring to go flat out at all times, and wanted to win every single race he participated in. During his peak years as a racer, he is said to have cycled over 35,000 km a year. While climbing the steep, severe Mont Ventoux in 1970 to a stage win, he rode so strongly and pushed himself so hard that after he finished, oxygen was administered.

Related Topics:
Mont Ventoux - 1970

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At the 1975 Tour de France, he attempted to win his sixth Tour, but became a victim of violence. Many Frenchmen were upset that a Belgian might beat the record of five wins set by Frenchman Jacques Anquetil. Merckx held the yellow jersey for eight days of the race, which raised his record to 95 total days, but during stage 14 a spectator leapt from the crowd and punched him in the kidneys. He kept racing with a double fracture and took medications. The pain in combination with the medicine caused him to fall during the race. He eventually ran out of energy and lost his lead but on the last stage he showed one last sign of defiance by sprinting ahead of the peloton. He would never win the Tour de France again. In 1976 he rode his last Tour de France; he did not win a single stage.

Related Topics:
1975 Tour de France - Violence - Jacques Anquetil - Peloton

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Despite his impressive victories, Merckx was not immune to injuries. In 1969 he crashed in a derny race towards the end of the season. A pacer and a cyclist fell in front of Merckx's pacer, and caused both him and Merckx to crash. Merckx's pacer was killed instantly, and Merckx suffered a bad concussion and fell unconscious. This accident cracked a vertebra and twisted his pelvis. He admitted in interviews that, because of his injuries, his riding was never the same.

Related Topics:
1969 - Derny race

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In addition to his other achievements, Merckx set the hour speed record in Mexico City in 1972; is one of the few cyclists to win Paris-Roubaix, the Hell of the North, three times; and won 17 six-day races. He retired from racing in 1978.

Related Topics:
Hour - Mexico City - 1972 - Paris-Roubaix - 1978

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