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Eddy Merckx

Cover of Cycle Sport America celebrating Merckx's legend.
Personal information
Full name	Edouard Louis Joseph Merckx
Nickname	De kannibaal (The Cannibal)
Date of birth	June 17, 1945 (age 61)
Country	Belgium
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road and track
Role	Rider
Rider type	All-rounder
Professional team(s)
1966-1967 1968-1970 1971-1976 1977 1978	Peugeot-BP Faema Molteni Fiat C&A
Major wins
Tour de France, 5 overall, 34 stage wins Giro d'Italia, 5 overall, 24 stage wins Vuelta a España, 1 overall, 6 stage wins World Cycling Champion, 3 times Super Prestige Pernod International, 7 wins Giro di Lombardia, 2 wins Liège-Bastogne-Liège, 5 wins Milan-Sanremo, 7 wins Paris-Roubaix, 3 wins Ronde van Vlaanderen, 2 wins
Infobox last updated on:
March 29, 2007

Edouard Louis Joseph Merckx (IPA: ['merks]) (born June 17, 1945, Meensel-Kiezegem, Vlaams Brabant, Belgium) is a retired Belgian professional cyclist. Considered by many fans to be the greatest and most successful cyclist of all time, he set several world records some of which remain unsurpassed to this day.

Contents 1 Racing career 1.1 Successes in stage racing and single day races 1.2 Setbacks and lesser days 1.3 Records 1.4 Hour record 2 After retirement 3 Personal life 4 Other records and achievements 5 Trivia and cultural references 6 Significant victories by race 6.1 Grand Tours (11) 6.2 Other stage races 6.3 Classic cycle races (28) 6.4 World titles 6.5 Track races 7 Significant victories by year 7.1 1964 7.2 1965 7.3 1966 (Team Peugeot-BP) 7.4 1967 (Team Peugeot-BP) 7.5 1968 (Team Faema) 7.6 1969 (Team Faema) 7.7 1970 (Team Faema-Faemino) 7.8 1971 (Team Molteni) 7.9 1972 (Team Molteni) 7.10 1973 (Team Molteni) 7.11 1974 (Team Molteni) 7.12 1975 (Team Molteni) 7.13 1976 (Team Molteni) 7.14 1977 (Team Fiat) 8 See also 9 Notes

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. A year later he became world champion in the professional category in Heerlen, The Netherlands. He would win this title twice more.

In 1968 Merckx started his domination of the Grand Tours by becoming the first Belgian to win the Giro d'Italia. He would repeat this four times.

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 Laurent Jalabert has been able to match this feat at the Grand Tour level, in the 1995 Vuelta. 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).

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.

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 pulled out before the end of the race). 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).

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 a single Classic cycle race : 7 (in Milan-Sanremo).

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.)

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.

In 1967 Merckx married Claudine Acou, Merckx's mother had 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".

• 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).^[1]

• He dominated both single-day and stage races during his career, a rarity in recent cycling.

• 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).

• Despite his spectacular career, Merckx never won the classic race Paris-Tours. Cyclist Noël Van Tyghem, who did win this race, was once quoted saying "Together with Merckx, I won all classics that can be won. I won Paris-Tours, Merckx all the rest…"^{[citation needed]}

• 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.^[2]

• 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, "De Grote Prijs Eddy Merckx" (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: "A revolution is like a bike, it may fall or stand up", 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.

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

• 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

• 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

• 3× World Championships
• 1× Amateur World Championships

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

• World Amateur Road Race Champion

• Six Days of Gent (with Patrick Sercu)

Team - Solo Superior

• Milan-Sanremo
• Trofeo Angelo Baracchi, with Ferdi Bracke
• Championship of Flanders
• Tour de Morbihan

• 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)

• 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

• Tour de France, including
  • 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

• Tour de France, including
  • 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
• Super Prestige Pernod Trophy

• Tour de France, including
  • Points Classification
  • 4 stages
• 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 Trophy

• Tour de France, including
  • 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 Trophy

• 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

• Tour de France, including
  • 8 stages
• Giro d'Italia, including
  • 2 stages
• World Pro Road Race
• Tour de Suisse, including
  • Points Classification
  • KoM
  • 3 stages
• Critérium des As
• Super Prestige Pernod Trophy

• 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)

• Milan-Sanremo
• Catalan Week

• 1 stage, Tour de Suisse
• Mediterranean Tour
• Six Days of Munich (with Patrick Sercu)
• Six Days of Zürich (with Patrick Sercu)
• Six Days of Gent (with Patrick Sercu)

• Cycling records

1. ^ Wilcockson, John. Inside Cycling with John Wilcockson: An extraordinary life. Retrieved on May 14, 2006.
2. ^ "Duo interview Tom Boonen - Eddy Merckx", Gazet van Antwerpen, 3 February 2007

Preceded by Rudi Altig	World Road Racing Champion 1967	Succeeded by Vittorio Adorni
Preceded by Jean-Pierre Monseré	World Road Racing Champion 1971	Succeeded by Marino Basso
Preceded by Felice Gimondi	World Road Racing Champion 1974	Succeeded by Hennie Kuiper
Preceded by Jan Janssen	Winner of the Tour de France 1969-72	Succeeded by Luis Ocaña
Preceded by Luis Ocaña	Winner of the Tour de France 1974	Succeeded by Bernard Thévenet
Preceded by Felice Gimondi	Winner of the Giro d'Italia 1968	Succeeded by Felice Gimondi
Preceded by Felice Gimondi	Winner of the Giro d'Italia 1970	Succeeded by Gösta Pettersson
Preceded by Gösta Pettersson	Winner of the Giro d'Italia 1972-74	Succeeded by Fausto Bertoglio
Preceded by José Manuel Fuente	Winner of the Vuelta a España 1973	Succeeded by José Manuel Fuente
Preceded by Serge Reding	Belgian Sportsman of the Year 1969–1974	Succeeded by Bruno Brokken