Eddy Merckx

Eddy Merckx

Medal record
World Championships
	1967 Heerlen	Professional Men's Road Race
	1971 Mendrisio	Professional Men's Road Race
	1974 Montréal	Professional Men's Road Race

Baron Edouard Louis Joseph Merckx (IPA: ['merks]) (born June 17 1945, Meensel-Kiezegem, Vlaams Brabant, Belgium) is a former Belgian professional cyclist. Merckx, regarded as the greatest and most successful cyclist of all time, established several world cycling records, some of which remain unbroken to this day.

Racing career

Early successes in stage racing and single day races

Merckx started competing in 1961. Three years later he became world champion in the amateur category, before turning professional in 1965. In 1966 he won the first of seven editions of Milan-Sanremo. The following year, he won Milan San Remo for the second time becoming the first cyclist to win Milan-Sanremo two years in a row. He started his first grand tour at the 1967 Giro d'Italia. He would win his first stage here and finished seventh overall. Later that year he outsprinted Jan Janssen to become world champion in the professional category in Heerlen, The Netherlands. He would win this title twice more.

In 1968 with the rainbow jersey on his back and a change of team to the Italian Faema team, Merckx went on to win Paris-Roubaix for the first time and started his domination of the Grand Tours by becoming the first Belgian to win the Giro d'Italia in 1968. He would repeat this four times.

Starting the 1969 season, he won Paris-Nice stage race. In the time trial that Merckx won in this race, he overtook the 5 time Tour de France winner Jacques Anquetil who over the previous fifteen years had been the recognized master of that discipline. Merckx went on to win Milan-San Remo and Ronde van Vlaanderen several weeks later. In his Tour de France debut in 1969, Merckx immediately 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 Tony Rominger and Laurent Jalabert have been able to match this feat at the Grand Tour level, in the 1993 and 1995 Vueltas, respectively. If the young riders' white jersey (for best rider in the Tour under 25 years of age) had existed at that time, Merckx would have won that one as well, as he had only just turned 24. It was the first time a Belgian won the Tour de France since Sylvère Maes thirty years earlier, and because of this Merckx became a national hero. He would win this contest four more times: in 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1974, equalling Frenchman Jacques Anquetil. Over the next 25 years, only Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain were able to equal the five victories. Then Lance Armstrong broke the record and went on winning the Tour for a sixth (2004) and a seventh (2005) time. Merckx still holds the records for stage wins (34) and number of days in the Yellow Jersey (96).

Challenges to Merckx'es domination in the Grand Tours

The greatest challenge to the domination of Merckx was in the 1971 edition of the Tour de France. That year Luis Ocana attacked and won the maillot jaune with several minutes. Despite relentless attacks from Merckx, Ocana was holding his lead until a crash forced him to withdraw from the tour. There was much anticipation of a rematch between the two. Before that could happen, Merckx had a battle with Jose Manuel Fuente at the 1972 edition of the Tour de France in which Merckx beat the climber in the mountain stages. In the 1972 edition of the tour Ocana became sick during the tour and withdrew and the anticipated duel between the two did not materialise. The following year Merckx choose to ride the Vuelta a España where he beat Luis Ocana and Bernard Thévenet and then went on to win the Giro d'Italia. Merckx's final victory in the Giro d'Italia in the 1974 edition was a tight battle between Merckx and two Italians. In the end, Merckx won by the very narrow margin of twelve seconds over Gianbattista Baronchelli and 33 seconds over Felice Gimondi.

Classics Victories

In addition to these well-known Grand Tour successes, Merckx also has an impressive list of victories in one-day races (for a comprehensive list, see lower down). Among the highlights are a record of seven victories in the Milan-Sanremo (which to this day is unequalled), two victories in the Ronde van Vlaanderen, three wins in Paris-Roubaix (the Hell of the North), five in the Liège-Bastogne-Liège (record), and two in the Giro di Lombardia, which makes a total of 19 victories in the 'Monument' Classics. He also won the World Road Racing Championship a record three times in 1967, 1971 and 1974, and every single one of the Classic cycle races, except Paris-Tours. Finally, he was also victorious in no less than 17 six-day track races on the velodrome, often with his partner Patrick Sercu.

Merckx retired from racing in 1978, at the age of 33.

Setbacks and lesser days

The blackest day in Merckx's career dates from 1969, when he crashed in a derny race towards the end of the season. A pacer and a cyclist fell in front of Merckx's pacer, Fernand Wambst, causing both Wambst and Merckx to crash. His 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. He would keep adjusting his saddle while riding to make sure it had the right position, and would always be in pain, especially while climbing.

That same year, during the Giro d'Italia, he was confronted with accusations of drug use. Because of this, he was forced to leave the contest. Merckx cried in front of the press and to this day keeps repeating people cheated with the doping test. He argued that there were no counter-experts nor counter-analysis available and that some foreign supporters hated him. Further, he stated that the stage during which he was allegedly using drugs was an easy one for everybody, so there was no need to use any drugs. The Belgian prince sent a plane to bring him back to Belgium. This incident was one of the reasons why Merckx would consider his first Tour de France victory, later that year, as his best ever.

The end of his great Tour-career came in 1975 (although he did compete in 1977 he finished 6th that year). At that year's Tour de France, he attempted to win his sixth, 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 96 total days, but during stage 14 a French spectator leapt from the crowd and punched him in the liver area. On top of this, a collision with Danish rider Ole Ritter resulted in a broken jaw at a later stage. Despite the fact that he could not eat solid food, and was barely able to talk, Merckx did not retire from the race. During the very last stage, he even attacked leader Bernard Thevenet (but was caught by the peloton). Even today, many fans think he could have won more than five Tours de France. Due to anti-Merckx sentiments (see above), tour organisers asked him not to ride the Tour in 1973; he agreed, and rode (and won) the Vuelta for the only time in his career.

Records

The following are records that Merckx set during his career.

• Most career victories by a professional cyclist: 525.
• Most victories in one season: 54.
• Hour record: 49.432 km, set in 1972 (bettered by Chris Boardman in 2000)
• Most stage victories in the Tour de France: 34.
• Most stage victories in one Tour de France: 8, in 1970 and 1974 (shared with Charles Pelissier in 1930 and Freddy Maertens in 1976).
• Most days with the yellow jersey in the Tour de France: 96.
• The only cyclist to have won the yellow, green and red polka-dotted jersey in the same Tour de France (1969).
• Most victories in the Classic cycle races: 28.
• Most victories in one single Classic cycle race: 7 (in Milan-Sanremo).

The bicycle Merckx used during his hour speed record attempt.

Hour record

In addition to his achievements in regular professional cycling, Merckx also set the bicycle hour speed record in 1972. On October 25, he covered 49.431 km at high altitude in Mexico City. The record would remain untouched until 1984, when Francesco Moser broke it using a specially designed bicycle and meticulously studied improvements in streamlining. Over the next 15 years, various racers would keep improving the record, up to more than 56 km (Chris Boardman). However, because of the increasingly exotic design of the bikes and position of the rider, these performances were no longer reasonably comparable to Merckx's achievement. In response to this, the UCI went back to basics and introduced the UCI Hour Record in 2000, requiring a "traditional" bike to be used. When Boardman subsequently had another go at Merckx's reinstated record 28 years later, he beat it by slightly more than 10 meters (it should be noted both that this was at sea level, putting Boardman at a disadvantage of as much as 3km per hour [1], and that he was someway below his 1996 peak. On the other hand, Merckx had raced a full road season winning the Tour, Giro and four Classics, while Boardman was a time trial specialist who had retired from road racing and had prepared specifically for the 2000 Hour Record.)

The Eddy Merckx bicycle factory in Meise.

After retirement

Having retired from competitive cycling, Eddy Merckx now has a bicycle factory [2] and is a race commentator. He also was coach of the Belgian national cycling team during the mid-90's, and was part of the Belgian Olympic Committee. Merckx is still asked frequently to comment as an authority on various topics in the field of cycling. As such, he has also figured as special advisor for the recent UCI addition "Tour of Qatar" since 2002.

In May 2004, he underwent an esophagus operation to cure the constant stomach ache which he suffered since he was still a young man. He lost almost 30 kilograms in the process, and took up (recreational) cycling again with more regularity after the operation.

Personal life

In 1967 Merckx married Claudine Acou. Merckx's mother asked the priest to celebrate the entire ceremony in French, a choice that ended up being a contentious issue in Belgium. They had two children: a daughter (Sabrina) and a son (Axel, who also became a professional cyclist).

Despite this early incident, Merckx may be considered a perfect ambassador to Belgium (i.e. not leaning towards Flanders or Wallonia, but supporting the unity of the country). This, together with his achievements in sports, pushed him to high rankings in both the Flemish (3rd) and Walloon (4th) editions of the "Greatest Belgian" contest, held in 2005.

In 1996 the Belgian king gave him the lifelong title of baron. In 2000 he was chosen Belgian "Sports Figure of the Century".

Merckx is known as a quiet and modest person, a man of actions instead of big words. Many of his former helpers got a job in his bicycle factory and still regularly join him during recreational bike tours.

Merckx has strongly condemned doping (he tested positive for illegal substances twice in his career), a hot topic in the world of professional cycling. At the same time he has been quick to point out that cycling is often unfairly treated when compared to other sports. In the 1990s, he became a good personal friend of Lance Armstrong, and supported him when he was accused of drug use, often stating that he rather "believed what Lance told him than what appeared in newspapers". After Armstrong won only his third Tour de France, Merckx predicted that Lance would go on to win as many as seven Tours.

Other records and achievements

• Eddy Merckx is five-time champion of the two most important races in professional cycling, the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia and one of only four cyclists to have won all three of the Grand Tours
• He is one of only two men to have won the Triple Crown of Cycling (Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and the World Cycling Championship) in the same year.
• In addition, he is one of only three riders (all Belgian) to have won all five “Monument” one-day classic races at least once during his career, and won the season-long Super Prestige Pernod International competition a record seven consecutive times.
• Overall, Merckx entered 1582 road races in his 13 year professional career, and won 525 of them —this implies a winning rate above 33% (approx. one-third).
• He dominated both single-day and stage races during his career, a rarity in recent cycling.

Trivia and cultural references

• Merckx was nicknamed "the cannibal" because he refused to ride tactically. He preferred to go flat out at all times, and wanted to win every single race he participated in, never "arranging" a race with another competitor. Other nicknames were "the Einstein of the two-wheelers", and, courtesy of Jacques Goddet, "Le Géant" (The Giant).
• Eddy Merckx has a namesake who is a multiple Belgian Champion and world champion 2006 in three cushion billiards.
• Merckx could push his limits like no other. 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 had to be administered.
• In the mid seventies Merckx figured in some television commercials for cigarettes; an act for which he was criticized and which he now regrets.
• When the United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited Belgium in 2005 she wanted to meet a famous citizen of the country, which became Merckx.
• A station on the Brussels metro is named in his honour. In this station his world record bike can be seen.
• A cycling contest, The Eddy Merckx Grand Prix, is named in his honour.
• In the French comedy Les Aventures de Rabbi Jacob (The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob) (1973) with Louis de Funès, de Funès' character hears a conversation between a kidnapper and his victim, a revolutionary. When the revolutionary says: "The revolution is like a bike: When it doesn't move forward, it falls.", de Funès attributes the line to Eddy Merckx. One of the kidnappers corrects him and says Che Guevara once said this.
• In the comic strip Asterix Merckx makes a cameo as a "fast runner" in the album Asterix in Belgium.
• In 2000, the Belgian magazine Knack declared him to be "Belgian of the Century" and another four years later, the magazine Humo called him "the Greatest Belgian".
• Paul Van Himst, another Belgian sport legend, is one of his closest friends.
• Merckx cameoed as himself in several movies, of which the 1985 film American Flyers, starring Kevin Costner, is the best known.

Significant victories by race

Grand Tours (11)

Eddy Merckx Grand tour results

	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977
Tour de France general classification	-	-	1	1	1	1	-	1	2	-	6
Tour de France mountains classification	-	-	1	1	3	2	-	2	2	-	?
Tour de France points classification	-	-	1	2	1	1	-	2	2	-	5
Tour de France stages won	-	-	6	8	4	6	-	8	2	-	0
Giro d'Italia general classification	9	1	DSQ	1	-	1	1	1	-	8	-
Giro d'Italia mountains classification	3	1	DSQ	4	-	2	2	2	-	7	-
Giro d'Italia points classification	2	1	DSQ	3	-	2	1	4	-	2	-
Giro d'Italia stages won	2	3	4	3	-	4	6	2	-	0	-
Vuelta a España general classification	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-
Vuelta a España mountains classification	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	-
Vuelta a España points classification	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-
Vuelta a España stages won	-	-	-	-	-	-	6	-	-	-	-

• 5× Tours de France, 34 stage wins
• 5× Giro d'Italia, 24 stage wins
• 1× Vuelta a España, 6 stage wins

Other stage races

• 1× Tour de Suisse
• 2× Tour of Belgium
• 3× Paris-Nice
• 1× Tour de Romandie
• 1× Dauphiné Libéré
• 1× Midi Libre
• 4× Tour of Sardinia

Classic cycle races (28)

• 7× Milan-Sanremo
• 2× Ronde van Vlaanderen
• 3× Paris-Roubaix
• 5× Liège-Bastogne-Liège
• 2× Giro di Lombardia
• 2× Amstel Gold Race
• 3× La Flèche Wallonne
• 1× Paris-Brussels
• 3× Ghent-Wevelgem

World titles

• 3× Template:FlagiconUCI World Championships
• 1× Template:FlagiconUCI Amateur World Championships

Track races

• 17 six-day races
• 3× European Championships
• 7× Belgian Madison Championships (with Patrick Sercu)

Significant victories by year

1964

Template:FlagiconUCIWorld Amateur Road Race Champion

1965

Six Days of Gent (with Patrick Sercu)

1966 (Team Peugeot-BP)

Milan-Sanremo

Trofeo Angelo Baracchi, with Ferdi Bracke

Championship of Flanders

Tour de Morbihan

1967 (Team Peugeot-BP)

Template:FlagiconUCI World Pro Road Race

Milan-Sanremo

La Flèche Wallonne

Gent-Wevelgem

Trofeo Angelo Baracchi, with Ferdi Bracke

2 stages, Giro d'Italia

Critérium des As

Six Days of Gent (with Patrick Sercu)

1968 (Team Faema)

Giro d'Italia, including

Mountains Classification

Points Classification

4 stages

Volta a Catalunya

Tour de Romandie

Paris-Roubaix

Tre Valli Varesine

Tour of Sardinia

G.P. Lugano

A travers Lausanne

1969 (Team Faema)

Tour de France

Overall classification

Mountains Classification

Points Classification

6 stages

Paris-Luxembourg

Milan-Sanremo

Ronde van Vlaanderen

Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Paris-Nice, including

4 stages

Super Prestige Pernod International

1970 (Team Faema-Faemino)

Tour de France

Overall classification

Mountains Classification

8 stages

Giro d'Italia, including

3 stages

Paris-Nice

Tour of Belgium

Paris-Roubaix

La Flèche Wallonne

Gent-Wevelgem

Critérium des As

Belgium National Cycling Championship Road Race

Super Prestige Pernod International

1971 (Team Molteni)

Tour de France

Overall classification

Points Classification

4 stages

Template:FlagiconUCI World Pro Road Race

Milan-Sanremo

Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Giro di Lombardia

Rund um den Henninger Turm

Omloop "Het Volk"

Paris-Nice

Dauphiné Libéré

GP du Midi Libre

Tour of Belgium

Super Prestige Pernod International

1972 (Team Molteni)

Tour de France

Overall classification

Points Classification

6 stages

Giro d'Italia, including

4 stages

Milan-Sanremo

Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Giro di Lombardia

La Flèche Wallonne

Giro dell'Emilia

Giro del Piemonte

Grote Scheldeprijs

Trofeo Angelo Baracchi, with Roger Swerts

Hour Record - 49.431 km

Super Prestige Pernod International

1973 (Team Molteni)

Giro d'Italia, including

Points Classification

6 stages

Vuelta a España, including

Points Classification

Sprints Classification

Combined Classification

6 stages

Paris-Roubaix

Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Grand Prix des Nations

Amstel Gold Race

Gent-Wevelgem

Omloop "Het Volk"

Paris-Brussels

GP Fourmies

Super Prestige Pernod Trophy

1974 (Team Molteni)

Tour de France

Overall classification

8 stages

Giro d'Italia, including

2 stages

Template:FlagiconUCI World Pro Road Race

Tour de Suisse, including

Points Classification

KoM

3 stages

Critérium des As

Super Prestige Pernod Trophy

1975 (Team Molteni)

Milan-Sanremo

Ronde van Vlaanderen

Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Amstel Gold Race

Catalan Week

2 stages, Tour de France

1 stage, Tour de Suisse

Super Prestige Pernod Trophy

Six Days of Gent (with Patrick Sercu)

1976 (Team Molteni)

Milan-Sanremo

Catalan Week

1977 (Team Fiat)

1 stage, Tour de Suisse

Tour Méditerranéen

Six Days of Munich (with Patrick Sercu)

Six Days of Zürich (with Patrick Sercu)

Six Days of Gent (with Patrick Sercu)

See also

• Cycling records

References

• Vanwalleghem, Rik (1996). Eddy Merckx: The Greatest Cyclist of the 20th Century. Boulder. ISBN 1-88473-722-6.
• Vanwalleghem, Rik (1989). Eddy Merckx, mijn levensverhaal : de ware selfmade man als wielrenner en als zakenman Template:Nl icon. Helios. ISBN 90-289-1465-X.
• Rosier, Erik (1973). Eddy Merckx Template:Nl icon. Franco-Suisse. OCLC 57423874.
• Cornand, Jan and Blancke, Andre (1975). Hoe Merckx de tour verloor / wielerseizoen 1975 van A tot Z Template:Nl icon. Het Volk.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

Template:S-awardsTemplate:S-record