Английская Википедия:Eddy Merckx

Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx (Шаблон:IPA-nl, Шаблон:IPA-fr; born 17 June 1945), is a Belgian former professional road and track cyclist racer who is the most successful rider in the history of competitive cycling. His victories include an unequalled eleven Grand Tours (five Tours de France, five Giros d'Italia, and a Vuelta a España), all five Monuments, setting the hour record, three World Championships, every major one-day race other than Paris–Tours, and extensive victories on the track.

Born in Meensel-Kiezegem, Brabant, Belgium, he grew up in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre where his parents ran a grocery store. He played several sports, but found his true passion in cycling. Merckx got his first bicycle at the age of three or four and competed in his first race in 1961. His first victory came at Petit-Enghien in October 1961.

After winning eighty races as an amateur racer, he turned professional on 29 April 1965 when he signed with Шаблон:UCI team code. His first major victory came in the Milan–San Remo a year later, after switching to Шаблон:UCI team code. After the 1967 season, Merckx moved to Шаблон:UCI team code, and won the Giro d'Italia, his first Grand Tour victory. Four times between 1970 and 1974 Merckx completed a Grand Tour double. His final double also coincided with winning the elite men's road race at the UCI Road World Championships to make him the first rider to accomplish cycling's Triple Crown. Merckx broke the hour record in October 1972, extending the record by almost 800 metres.

He acquired the nickname "The Cannibal", suggested by the daughter of a teammate upon being told by her father of how Merckx would not let anyone else win. Merckx achieved 525 victories over his eighteen-year career. He is one of only three riders to have won all five 'Monuments' Milan–San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris–Roubaix, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and the Giro di Lombardia and the only one to have won them all twice or more. Merckx was successful on the road and also on the track, as well as in the large stage races and one-day races. He is almost universally regarded as the greatest and most successful rider in the history of cycling.

Since Merckx's retirement from the sport on 18 May 1978, he has remained active in the cycling world. He began his own bicycle brand, Eddy Merckx Cycles, in 1980 and its bicycles were used by several professional teams in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. Merckx coached the Belgian national cycling team for eleven years, stopping in 1996. He helped start and organize the Tour of Qatar from its start in 2002 until its final edition in 2016. He also assisted in running the Tour of Oman, before a disagreement with the organizers led him to step away in 2017.

Early life and amateur career

Edouard Louis Joseph Merckx was born in Meensel-Kiezegem,^[1] Brabant, Belgium on 17 June 1945 to Jules Merckx and Jenny Pittomvils.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn Merckx was the first-born of the family.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn In September 1946, the family moved to Sint-Pieters-Woluwe, in Brussels, Belgium in order to take over a grocery store that had been up for lease.Шаблон:Sfn^[2] In May 1948, Jenny gave birth to twins: a boy, Michel, and a girl, Micheline.Шаблон:Sfn As a child Eddy was hyperactive and was always playing outside.Шаблон:Sfn

Eddy was a competitive child and played several sports, including basketball, football, table tennis and boxing, the latter in which he won some local boxing tournaments.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn He even played lawn tennis for the local junior team.Шаблон:Sfn However, Merckx claimed he knew he wanted to be a cyclist at the age of four and that his first memory was a crash on his bike when he was the same age.^[3] Merckx began riding a bike at the age of three or four and would ride to school every day, beginning at age eight.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx would imitate his cycling idol Stan Ockers with his friends when they rode bikes together.Шаблон:Sfn

In summer 1961, Merckx bought his first racing license and competed in his first official race a month after he turned sixteen, coming in sixth place.Шаблон:Sfn He rode in twelve more races before winning his first, at Petit-Enghien, on 1 October 1961.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn^[1] In the winter following his first victory, he trained with former racer Félicien Vervaecke at the local velodrome.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx won his second victory on 11 March 1962 in a kermis race.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx competed in 55 races during the 1962 calendar year; as he devoted more time to cycling, his grades at school began to decline.Шаблон:Sfn After winning the Belgian amateur road race title, Merckx declined an offer from his school's headmaster to have his exams postponed, and dropped out of school.Шаблон:Sfn^[4] He finished the season with 23 victories to his name.^[4]

Merckx was selected for the men's road race at the 1964 Summer Olympics, where he finished in twelfth position.^[5]^[6] Later in the season, he won the amateur road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Sallanches, France.Шаблон:Sfn^[7] Merckx remained an amateur until April 1965, and finished his amateur career with eighty wins to his credit.^[8]^[9]

Professional career

1965–1967: Solo–Superia and Peugeot–BP–Michelin

1965: First professional season

Merckx turned professional on 29 April 1965 when he signed with Rik Van Looy's Belgian team, Шаблон:UCI team code.Шаблон:Sfn He won his first race in Vilvoorde, beating Emile Daems.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn On 1 August,Шаблон:Sfn Merckx finished second in the Belgian national championships, which qualified him for the men's road race at the UCI Road World Championships.^[10] Raphaël Géminiani, the manager of the Bic cycling team, approached Merckx at the event and offered him 2,500 francs a month to join the team the following season.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx chose to sign; however, since he was a minor the contract was invalid.Шаблон:Sfn

After finishing the road race in 29th position,^[11] Merckx returned to Belgium and discussed his plans for the next season with his manager Jean Van Buggenhout.Шаблон:Sfn Van Buggenhout helped orchestrate a move that sent Merckx to the French-based Peugeot–BP–Michelin for 20,000 francs a month.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx elected to leave Шаблон:UCI team code due to the way he was treated by his teammates, in particular Van Looy.^[10] Van Looy and other teammates mocked Merckx for his various habits such as his eating, or called him names.Шаблон:Sfn In addition, Merckx later stated that during his time with Van Looy's team he had not been taught anything.Шаблон:Sfn^[10] While with Шаблон:UCI team code, he won nine races out of the nearly 70 races he entered.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn

1966: First Monument victory

A man on a bicycle, with a car behind him.

Merckx finished in twelfth position in the men's road race at the 1966 UCI Road World Championships.

In March 1966, Merckx entered his first major stage race as a professional rider, the Paris–Nice.Шаблон:Sfn He took the race lead for a single stage before losing it to Jacques Anquetil and eventually coming in fourth overall.Шаблон:Sfn Milan–San Remo, his first participation in one of cycling's Monuments, was the next event on the calendar for Merckx. There, he succeeded in staying with the main field as the race entered the final climb of the Poggio.Шаблон:Sfn He attacked on the climb and reduced the field to a group of eleven, himself included.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx was advised by his manager to hold off on sprinting full-out to the finish line until as late as possible.Шаблон:Sfn Three other riders reached the line with him; Merckx, however, beat them in the sprint.Шаблон:Sfn In the following weeks, he raced the Tour of Flanders and Paris–Roubaix, the most important cobbled classics; in the former he crashed and in the latter he had a punctured tire.Шаблон:Sfn At the 1966 UCI Road World Championships he finished twelfth in the road race after suffering a cramp in the closing kilometers.Шаблон:Sfn He finished 1966 season with a total of 20 wins, including his first stage race win at the Tour of Morbihan.Шаблон:Sfn

1967: Second straight Milan–San Remo and world champion

Merckx opened the 1967 campaign with two stage victories at the Giro di Sardegna.Шаблон:Sfn He followed these successes by entering Paris–Nice where he won the second stage and took the race lead.Шаблон:Sfn Two stages later, a teammate, Tom Simpson, attacked with several other riders on a climb and was nearly 20 minutes ahead of Merckx, who remained in a group behind.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx attacked two days later on a climb 70 km into the stage.Шаблон:Sfn He was able to establish a firm advantage, but obeyed orders from his manager to wait for the chasing Simpson.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx won the stage, while Simpson secured his overall victory.Шаблон:Sfn

Eddy Merckx being pushed while on bike before a stage.

At the 1967 Giro d'Italia Merckx won his first Grand Tour stages on the way to finishing ninth overall.

On 18 March,^[12] Merckx started the Milan–San Remo and was seen as a 120–1 favorite to win the race.Шаблон:Sfn He attacked on the Capo Berta and again on the Poggio, leaving only Gianni Motta with him.Шаблон:Sfn The two slowed their pace and were joined by two more riders.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx won the four-man sprint to the finish.Шаблон:Sfn His next victory came in La Flèche Wallonne after he missed out on an early break, caught up to it, and attacked from it to win the race.Шаблон:Sfn On 20 May, he started the Giro d'Italia, his first Grand Tour.Шаблон:Sfn He won the twelfth and fourteenth stages en route to finishing ninth in the general classification.^[13]

He signed with Faema on 2 September for ten years worth 400,000 Belgian francs.Шаблон:Sfn He chose to switch over in order to be in complete control over the team he was racing for.Шаблон:Sfn In addition, he would not have to pay for various expenses that came with racing such as wheels and tires.Шаблон:Sfn The next day, Merckx started the men's road race at the 1967 UCI Road World Championships in Heerlen, Netherlands.Шаблон:Sfn The course consisted of ten laps of a circuit.Шаблон:Sfn Motta attacked on the first lap and was joined by Merckx and five other riders.Шаблон:Sfn The group thinned to five as they reached the finish line where Merckx was able to out-sprint Jan Janssen for first place.Шаблон:Sfn^[14] In doing so, he became the third rider to win the world road race amateur and professional titles.Шаблон:Sfn By winning the race he earned the right to wear the rainbow jersey as world champion.Шаблон:Sfn^[14]

1968–1970: Faema

1968: First Grand Tour victory

Merckx's first victory with his new team came in a stage win at the Giro di Sardegna.Шаблон:Sfn At Paris–Nice, he was forced to quit the race due to a knee injury he sustained during the event.Шаблон:Sfn He failed to win his third consecutive Milan–San Remo and missed out at the Tour of Flanders the following weekend.Шаблон:Sfn His next victory came at Paris–Roubaix when he bested Herman Van Springel in a race that was plagued by poor weather and several punctures to the competing riders.Шаблон:Sfn

Merckx crouched over his bike, ascending a snowy mountain pass.

During the twelfth stage of the 1968 Giro d'Italia, Merckx caught the leading group, passed them, and rode solo to the stage finish atop the Tre Cime di Lavaredo (pictured) in poor weather to win the stage and take the race lead.

At the behest of his team, Merckx raced the Giro d'Italia instead of the Tour de France.Шаблон:Sfn He won the race's second stage after he attacked with one kilometer to go.Шаблон:Sfn^[15] The twelfth stage was marred by rainy weather and featured the climbs of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo for the stage finish.^[15] By the time Merckx had reached the penultimate climb, there was a six-man group at the front of the race with a nine-minute advantage.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx attacked and was able to get a sizable distance between himself and the group he left before he stopped to change his wheel in order to slow down due to orders from his team manager.^[15]Шаблон:Sfn Merckx got back on his bike and caught the leading breakaway and rode past it to the finish, where he won the stage and took the race lead.^[15]Шаблон:Sfn Merckx went on to win the race, along with the points classification and mountains classification.^[15] In the Volta a Catalunya, Merckx took the race lead from Gimondi in the race's time trial stage and won the event as a whole.Шаблон:Sfn He finished the season with 32 wins in the 129 races he entered.Шаблон:Sfn

1969: A victory in Paris and injury in Blois

Merckx opened the 1969 season with victories at the Vuelta a Levante and the Paris–Nice overall, as well as stages in each of the races.Шаблон:Sfn On 30 March 1969 Merckx earned his first major victory of the 1969 calendar with his win at the Tour of Flanders.Шаблон:Sfn On a rainy day that featured strong winds,Шаблон:Sfn he attacked first on the Oude Kwaremont, but a puncture nullified any gains he was able to establish.Шаблон:Sfn He made a move on the Kapelmuur and was followed by a few riders.Шаблон:Sfn As the wind shifted from a crosswind to a headwind with close to seventy kilometers left to go, Merckx increased the pace and rode solo to victory.Шаблон:Sfn The seventeen days after the Tour of Flanders saw Merckx win nine times.Шаблон:Sfn He won Milan–San Remo by descending the Poggio at high speed.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx saw victory again in mid-April at the Liège–Bastogne–Liège when he attacked with 70 kilometers remaining.Шаблон:Sfn

He began the Giro d'Italia on 16 May, stating that he wished to ride less aggressively than the year before in order to save energy for the Tour de France.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx had won four of the race's stages and held the race lead going into the sixteenth day of racing.Шаблон:Sfn However, before the start of the stage race director Vincenzo Torriani, along with a television camera and two writers, entered Merckx's hotel room and informed him that he had failed a doping control and was disqualified from the race, in addition to being suspended for a month.Шаблон:Sfn On 14 June, the cycling governing body, the FICP, overturned the month long suspension and cleared him due to the "benefit of the doubt."Шаблон:Sfn

A green field with the words "Coupe du monde".

The Velodrome Eddy Merckx at Mourenx was named in honor of Merckx in 1999 due to his efforts during the seventeenth stage at the 1969 Tour de France.

Before starting the Tour, Merckx had spent a large amount of his time resting and training, racing only five times.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx won the race's sixth stage through attacking before the leg's final major climb, the Ballon d'Alsace, and then outlasting his competitors who were able to follow him initially.Шаблон:Sfn During the seventeenth stage, Merckx was riding at the head of the race with several general classification contenders on the Col du Tourmalet.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx shifted into a large gear, attacked, and went on to cross the summit with a 45-second advantage.Шаблон:Sfn Despite orders to wait for the chasing riders, Merckx increased his efforts.Шаблон:Sfn He rode over the Col du Soulor and Col d'Aubisque, increasing the gap to eight minutes.Шаблон:Sfn With close to fifty kilometers to go, Merckx began to suffer hypoglycemia and rode the rest of the stage in severe pain.Шаблон:Sfn At the end of the stage, Merckx told the journalists "I hope I have done enough now for you to consider me a worthy winner."Шаблон:Sfn Merckx finished the race with six stage victories to his credit, along with the general, points, mountains, and combination classifications, and the award for most aggressive rider.Шаблон:Sfn

His next major race was the two-day race, Paris–Luxembourg.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx was down fifty-four seconds going into the second day and attacked eight kilometers from the finish, on the slopes of the Bereldange.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx rode solo to catch the leading rider Jacques Anquetil, whom he dropped with a kilometer remaining.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx won the stage and gained enough time on the race leader Gimondi to win the race.Шаблон:Sfn

An illustration of a derny.

Fernand Wambst, who was regarded as a great derny driver, agreed to pace Merckx in the omnium events in Blois.Шаблон:Sfn

On 9 September, Merckx participated in a three-round omnium event at the concrete velodrome in Blois where each rider was to be paced by a derny.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn Fernand Wambst was Merckx's pacer for the contest.Шаблон:Sfn After winning the first intermediate sprint of the first round, Wambst chose to slow their pace and move to the back of the race despite Merckx wanting to stay out in front for fear of an accident.Шаблон:Sfn Wambst wanted to pass everyone to provide a show for the crowd.Шаблон:Sfn The duo then increased their pace and began to pass each of the other contestants;Шаблон:Sfn however, as they passed the riders in first position, the leading derny lost control and crashed into the wall.Шаблон:Sfn Wambst chose to avoid the derny by going below it, but the leader's derny came back down and collided with Wambst, while Merckx's pedal caught one of the dernies.Шаблон:Sfn The two riders landed head first onto the track.Шаблон:Sfn

Wambst died of a fractured skull as he was being transported to a hospital.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx remained unconscious for 45 minutes and awoke in the operating room.Шаблон:Sfn He sustained a concussion, whiplash, trapped nerves in his back, a displaced pelvis, and several other cuts and bruises.Шаблон:Sfn He remained at the hospital for a week before returning to Belgium.Шаблон:Sfn He spent six weeks in bed before beginning to race again in October.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx later stated that he "was never the same again" after the crash.Шаблон:Sfn^[16] He would constantly adjust his seat during races to help ease the pain.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx stopped racing on 26 October to recuperate.Шаблон:Sfn

1970: A Giro–Tour double

Merckx entered the 1970 campaign nursing a case of mild tendonitis in his knee.Шаблон:Sfn His first major victory came in Paris–Nice where he won the general classification, along with three stages.Шаблон:Sfn^[16] On 1 April, Merckx won the Gent–Wevelgem, followed by the Tour of Belgium – where he braved a snowy stage and followed the day up with a victory in the final time trial to secure the title – and Paris–Roubaix.Шаблон:Sfn^[16] In Paris–Roubaix, Merckx was battling a cold as the race began in heavy rain.Шаблон:Sfn He attacked thirty-one kilometers from the finish and went on to win by five minutes and twenty-one seconds, the largest margin of victory in the history of the race.Шаблон:Sfn The next weekend, Merckx attempted to race for teammate Joseph Bruyère in La Flèche Wallonne; however, Bruyère was unable to keep pace with the leading riders, leaving Merckx to take the victory.Шаблон:Sfn

The summit of a mountain.

After winning the fourteenth stage to the summit of Mont Ventoux during the 1970 Tour de France, Merckx had to be given oxygen.

After the scandal at the previous year's Giro d'Italia, Merckx was unwilling to return to the race in 1970.Шаблон:Sfn His entry to the race was contingent upon all doping controls being sent to a lab in Rome to be tested, rather than being tested at the finish like the year before.Шаблон:Sfn He started the race and won the second stage,^[16] but four days later showed signs of weakness with his knee as he was dropped twice while in the mountains.Шаблон:Sfn However the next day, Merckx attacked on the final climb into the city of Brentonico to win the stage and take the lead.^[16] He won the stage nine individual time trial by almost two minutes over the second-place finisher, expanding his lead significantly.^[16] Merckx did not win another stage, but expanded his lead a little more before the race's conclusion.^[16]

Before beginning the Tour, Merckx won the men's road race at the Belgian National Road Race Championships.^[17] Merckx won the Tour's opening prologue to take the race's first race leader's yellow jersey.^[17]Шаблон:Sfn After losing the lead following the second stage,^[17]Шаблон:Sfn he won the sixth stage after forming a breakaway with Lucien Van Impe and regained the lead.Шаблон:Sfn After expanding his lead in the stage nine individual time trial, Merckx won the race's first true mountain stage, stage 10, and expanded his lead to five minutes in the general classification.^[17]Шаблон:Sfn Merckx won three of the five stages contested within the next four days, including a summit finish to Mont Ventoux, where upon finishing he was given oxygen.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn Merckx won two more stages, both individual time trials, and won the Tour by over twelve minutes. He finished the Tour with eight stage victories and won the mountains and combination classifications.^[17]Шаблон:Sfn The eight stage wins equaled the previous record for stage wins in a single Tour de France.^[17]Шаблон:Sfn Merckx also became the third to accomplish the feat of winning the Giro and Tour in the same calendar year.^[17]Шаблон:Sfn

1971–1976: Molteni

1971: A third consecutive Tour and second world championship

A picture of a cyclist in a jersey that reads "Bic."

Spaniard Luis Ocaña (pictured at the 1973 Tour de France) was one of Merckx's major rivals during the 1971 Tour de France.

Faema folded at the end of the 1970 season causing Merckx and several of his teammates to move to another Italian team, Molteni.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn The first major victory for Merckx came in the Giro di Sardegna, which he secured after attacking on his own and riding solo through the rain to win the race's final stage.Шаблон:Sfn He followed that with his third consecutive Paris–Nice victory, a race he led from start to finish.Шаблон:Sfn In the Milan–San Remo, Merckx worked with his teammates in a seven-man breakaway to set up a final attack on the Poggio.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx's attack succeeded and he won his fourth edition of the race.Шаблон:Sfn Six days later, he won the Omloop Het Volk.Шаблон:Sfn

After winning the Tour of Belgium again, Merckx headed into the major spring classics.Шаблон:Sfn During the Tour of Flanders, Merckx's rivals worked against him to prevent him from winning.Шаблон:Sfn A week later, he suffered five flat tires during the Paris–Roubaix.Шаблон:Sfn The Liège–Bastogne–Liège was held in cold and rain conditions.Шаблон:Sfn After attacking ninety kilometers from the finish, Merckx caught the leaders on the road and passed them.Шаблон:Sfn He rode solo until around three kilometers to go when Georges Pintens caught him.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx and Pintens rode to the finish together, where Merckx won the two-man sprint.Шаблон:Sfn Instead of racing the Giro d'Italia, Merckx elected to enter two shorter stages races in France, the Grand Prix du Midi Libre and the Critérium du Dauphiné, both of which he won.Шаблон:Sfn

The Tour de France began with a team time trial that Merckx's team won, giving him the lead.Шаблон:Sfn The next day's racing was split into three parts.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx lost the lead after stage 1b, but regained it after stage 1c due to a time bonus that he earned from winning an intermediate sprint.Шаблон:Sfn During the second stage, a major break with the major race contenders, including Merckx, formed with over a hundred kilometers to go.Шаблон:Sfn The group finished nine minutes ahead of the peloton as Merckx came around Roger De Vlaeminck during the sprint to win the day.Шаблон:Sfn After a week of racing, Merckx held a lead of around a minute over the main contenders.Шаблон:Sfn The eighth stage saw a mountain top finish to Puy-de-Dôme.Шаблон:Sfn Bernard Thévenet attacked on the lower slopes and Merckx was unable to counter.Шаблон:Sfn Joop Zoetemelk and Luis Ocaña went with Thévenet and wound up gaining fifteen seconds on Merckx.Шаблон:Sfn

A picture of a mountain.

While descending the Col du Cucheron during the ninth stage of the 1971 Tour de France, Merckx suffered a puncture. Seeing this, his rivals attacked and wound up gaining 1' 30" on Merckx.

On the descent of the Col du Cucheron during the race's ninth leg, Merckx's tire punctured, prompting Ocaña to attack with Zoetemelk, Thévenet, and Gösta Pettersson.Шаблон:Sfn The group of four finished a minute and a half ahead of Merckx, giving Zoetemelk the lead.Шаблон:Sfn The following day Merckx lost eight minutes to Ocaña after a poor showing due to stomach pains and indigestion.Шаблон:Sfn At the start of the eleventh stage, Merckx, three teammates, and a couple of others formed a breakaway.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx's group finished two minutes in front of the peloton that was led by Ocaña's Bic team.Шаблон:Sfn After winning the ensuing time trial, Merckx took back eleven more seconds on Ocaña.Шаблон:Sfn The race entered the Pyrenees with the first stage, into Luchon, being plagued by heavy thunderstorms that severely handicapped vision.Шаблон:Sfn On the descent of the Col de Menté, Merckx crashed on a left bend.Шаблон:Sfn Ocaña, who was trailing, crashed into the same bend and Zoetemelk collided with him.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx fell again on the descent and took the race lead as Ocaña was forced to retire from the race due to injuries from the crash.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx declined to wear the yellow jersey the following day out of respect for Ocaña.Шаблон:Sfn He won two more stages and the general, points, and combination classifications when the race finished in Paris.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn

Seven weeks following the Tour, Merckx entered the men's road race at the UCI Road World Championships that were held in Mendrisio, Switzerland.Шаблон:Sfn The route for the day was rather hilly and consisted of several circuits.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx was a part of a five-man breakaway as the race reached five laps to go.Шаблон:Sfn After attacking on the second to last stage, Merckx and Gimondi reached the finish, where Merckx won the race by four bike lengths.Шаблон:Sfn This earned him his second rainbow jersey.Шаблон:Sfn He closed out the 1971 calendar with his first victory in the Giro di Lombardia.Шаблон:Sfn This victory meant that Merckx had won all of cycling's Monuments.^[6] Merckx made the winning move when he attacked on the descent of the Intelvi Pass.Шаблон:Sfn During the off-season, Merckx had his displaced pelvis tended to by a doctor.Шаблон:Sfn

1972: Breaking the hour record alongside a Giro–Tour double

A picture of a cyclist on a bike.

Raymond Poulidor (pictured at the 1966 Tour de France) won Paris–Nice after taking the lead away from Merckx in the race's final stage, an individual time trial.Шаблон:Sfn

Due to his non-participation in track racing over the winter, Merckx entered the 1972 campaign in poorer form than in previous years.Шаблон:Sfn In the Paris–Nice, Merckx broke a vertebra in a crash that occurred as the peloton was in the midst of a bunch sprint.Шаблон:Sfn Against the advice of a physician, he started the next day being barely able to ride out of the saddle, leading Ocaña to attack him several times throughout the stage.Шаблон:Sfn In the race's fifth leg, Merckx sprinted away from Ocaña with 150 meters to go to win the day.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx lost the race lead in the final stage to Raymond Poulidor and finished in second place overall.Шаблон:Sfn Two days removed from Paris–Nice, Merckx was victorious for the fifth time at the Milan–San Remo after he established a gap on the descent of the Poggio.Шаблон:Sfn

In Paris–Roubaix, he crashed again, further aggravating the injury he sustained from Paris–Nice.Шаблон:Sfn He won Liège–Bastogne–Liège by making a solo move forty-six kilometers from the finish.Шаблон:Sfn Three days later, in La Flèche Wallonne, Merckx was a part of a six-man leading group as the race neared its conclusion.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx won the uphill sprint to the finish despite his derailleur shifting him to the wrong gear, forcing him to ride in a larger gear than anticipated.Шаблон:Sfn He became the third rider to win La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège in the same weekend.Шаблон:Sfn Despite a monetary offer from race organizers for Merckx to participate in the Vuelta a España, he chose to take part in the Giro d'Italia.Шаблон:Sfn

Merckx lost over two and a half minutes to Spanish climber José Manuel Fuente after the Giro's fourth stage that contained a summit finish to Blockhaus.Шаблон:Sfn In the seventh stage, Fuente had attacked on the first climb of the day, the Valico di Monte Scuro.Шаблон:Sfn However, Fuente cracked near the top of the climb, allowing for Merckx and Pettersson to catch and pass him. Merckx gained over four minutes on Fuente and became the new race leader.Шаблон:Sfn He expanded his lead by two minutes through the stage 12a and 12b time trials, winning the former.Шаблон:Sfn Fuente got Merckx on his own as the two climbed together during the fourteenth stage.Шаблон:Sfn He and teammate Francisco Galdós attacked, leaving Merckx behind.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx eventually reconnected with the two on the final climb of the stage.Шаблон:Sfn He proceeded to attack and went on to win the stage by forty-seven seconds.Шаблон:Sfn He lost two minutes to Fuente due to stomach trouble during the seventeenth leg that finished atop the Stelvio Pass,Шаблон:Sfn but went on to win one more stage en route to his third victory at the Giro d'Italia.Шаблон:Sfn

Merckx entered the Tour de France in July where a battle between him and Ocaña was expected by many.Шаблон:Sfn He took the opening prologue and expanded his advantage over all the other general classification contenders, except Ocaña, by at least three minutes.Шаблон:Sfn Going into the Pyrenees, Merckx led Ocaña by fifty-one seconds.Шаблон:Sfn The general classification favorites were riding together as the race hit the Col d'Aubisque in the seventh leg.Шаблон:Sfn Ocaña punctured on the climb, allowing for the other riders to attack.Шаблон:Sfn Ocaña chased after the group but crashed into a wall on the descent and went on to lose almost two minutes to Merckx.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx was criticized for attacking while Ocaña had a flat, but Merckx responded that the year before Ocaña had done the same thing while the race was in the Alps.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx won the following stage, regaining the lead which he had lost after the fourth leg.Шаблон:Sfn During the next two major mountain stages, one to Mont Ventoux and the other to Orcières, he merely followed Ocaña's wheel.Шаблон:Sfn He won three more stages before crossing the finish line in Paris as the race's winner,Шаблон:Sfn thus completing his second Giro-Tour double in the process.Шаблон:Sfn

An orange bicycle behind glass.

Ernesto Colnago designed the bike Merckx used (pictured) during his hour record attempt to be similar to Merckx's track bike.Шаблон:Sfn The bike weighed 5.9 kilograms and saw two hundred hours put into its production.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn

After initially planning to attempt to break the hour record in August, Merckx decided to make the attempt in October after taking a ten-day hiatus from criterium racing to heal and prepare.Шаблон:Sfn The attempt took place on 25 October in Mexico City, Mexico at the outdoor track Agustin Melgar.Шаблон:Sfn Mexico was chosen due to the higher altitude as this led to less air resistance.Шаблон:Sfn He arrived in Mexico on the 21st to prepare for his attempt, but two days were lost due to rain.Шаблон:Sfn His attempt started at 8:46 am local time and saw him finish the first ten kilometers twenty-eight seconds faster than the record pace.Шаблон:Sfn However, Merckx started off too fast and began to fade as the attempt wore on.Шаблон:Sfn He eventually was able to recover and posted a distance of Шаблон:Convert, breaking the world record.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn After finishing he was carried off and was quoted saying the pain was "very, very, very significant."Шаблон:Sfn

1973: A Giro–Vuelta double

An illness prevented Merckx from taking part in the Milan–San Remo at the start of the 1973 calendar.Шаблон:Sfn During a span of nineteen days, Merckx won four classics including Omloop Het Volk, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and Paris–Roubaix.Шаблон:Sfn He decided to race the Vuelta a España and the Giro d'Italia, instead of racing the Tour de France.Шаблон:Sfn He won the opening prologue of the Vuelta to take an early lead.Шаблон:Sfn Despite Ocaña's best efforts, Merckx won a total of six stages on his way to his only Vuelta a España title.Шаблон:Sfn In addition to the general classification, Merckx won the race's points classification and combination classifications.Шаблон:Sfn

Four days after the conclusion of the Vuelta, Merckx lined up to start the Giro d'Italia.Шаблон:Sfn He won the opening two-man time trial with Roger Swerts and the next day's leg as well.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx's primary competitor, Fuente, lost a significant amount of time during the second stage.Шаблон:Sfn He won the eighth stage which featured a summit finish to Monte Carpegna despite Fuente attacking several times on the ascent.Шаблон:Sfn Fuente tried attacking throughout the rest of the race, but was only able to make time gains on the race's penultimate stage.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx won the race after leading from start to finish, a feat only previously accomplished by Alfredo Binda and Costante Girardengo.Шаблон:Sfn He also became the first rider to win the Giro and Vuelta in the same calendar year.Шаблон:Sfn

A Felice Gimondi stamp.

Felice Gimondi (pictured in 1966) won the men's road race at the 1973 UCI Road World Championships, ahead of Merckx who was unable to contest the final sprint to the line, finishing last out of the leading group of four.

The UCI Road World Championships were held in Barcelona, Spain in 1973 and contested on the Montjuich circuit.Шаблон:Sfn During the road race, Merckx attacked with around one hundred kilometers left.Шаблон:Sfn His move was marked by Freddy Maertens, Gimondi, and Ocaña.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx attacked on the final lap, but was reeled in by the three riders.Шаблон:Sfn It came down to a sprint between the four, of which Merckx came in last and Gimondi in first.Шаблон:Sfn Following the road race, Merckx won his first Paris–Brussels and Grand Prix des Nations.Шаблон:Sfn He won both legs of À travers Lausanne, as well as the Giro di Lombardia, but a doping positive disqualified him.Шаблон:Sfn He closed the season with over fifty victories to his credit.Шаблон:Sfn

1974: Completion of cycling's Triple Crown

The 1974 season saw Merckx fail to win a spring classic for the first time in his career, in part due to him suffering from various illnesses during the early months.Шаблон:Sfn Pneumonia forced him to quit racing for a month and forced him to enter the Giro d'Italia in poor form.Шаблон:Sfn He lost time early in the race to Fuente, who took the race's first mountainous stage.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx gained time on Fuente in the race's only time trial.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx attacked from two hundred kilometers out two days later in a stage that was plagued by horrendous weather.Шаблон:Sfn Fuente lost ten minutes to Merckx, who became the race leader.Шаблон:Sfn The twentieth stage had a summit finish to Tre Cime di Lavaredo.Шаблон:Sfn Fuente and Gianbattista Baronchelli attacked on the climb, while Merckx was unable to match their accelerations.Шаблон:Sfn He finished the stage only to see his lead shrink to twelve seconds over Baronchelli.Шаблон:Sfn He held on to that lead until the race's conclusion, winning his fifth Giro d'Italia.Шаблон:Sfn

Three days following his victory at the Giro, Merckx started the Tour de Suisse.Шаблон:Sfn He won the race's prologue and rode conservatively for the rest of the race.Шаблон:Sfn He took the final leg, an individual time trial, to seal his overall victory.Шаблон:Sfn After finishing the race, Merckx had a sebaceous cyst removed on 22 June.Шаблон:Sfn Five days following the surgery, he was scheduled to begin the Tour de France.Шаблон:Sfn The wound was still slightly open when he began the Grand Tour and it bled throughout the race.Шаблон:Sfn

At the Tour, Merckx won the race's prologue, giving him the first race leader's maillot jaune (Шаблон:Lang-en),Шаблон:Sfn which he lost the next day to teammate Joseph Bruyère.Шаблон:Sfn He won the seventh stage of the race, and regained the lead, through attacking in the closing kilometers and holding off the chasing peloton.Шаблон:Sfn He put five minutes into Poulidor, his main rival, after dropping him on the Col du Galibier.Шаблон:Sfn The next day, on the slopes of Mont Ventoux, Merckx rode to limit his losses after suffering several attacks from other general classification riders, including Poulidor, Vicente López Carril and Gonzalo Aja.Шаблон:Sfn He expanded his lead through several stage victories afterward, including one where he attacked with ten kilometers to go in a flat stage and held off the peloton to reach the finish in Orléans almost a minute and a half before the chasing group.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx finished the Tour with eight stage wins and his fifth Tour de France victory, equaling the record of Anquetil.Шаблон:Sfn

A few cyclists riding on racing bicycles with a lot of spectators cheering.

With his victory in the men's road race at the 1974 UCI Road World Championships and his victories in two Grand Tours, the Giro and Tour, Merckx became the first rider to win the Triple Crown of Cycling.

Going into the men's road race at the UCI Road World Championships, Merckx anchored a squad that included Van Springel, Maertens, and De Vlaeminck.Шаблон:Sfn The route featured twenty-one laps of a circuit that contained two climbs.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx and Poulidor attacked with around seven kilometers to go, after catching the leading breakaway.Шаблон:Sfn The two rode to the finish together where Merckx won the sprint to the line, establishing a two-second gap between himself and Poulidor.Шаблон:Sfn By winning the road race, Merckx became the first rider to win the Triple Crown of Cycling, which consists of winning the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and men's road race at the World Championships in one calendar year.^[18]^[19] It was also his third world title, becoming the third rider to ever be world champion three times, after Binda and Rik Van Steenbergen.Шаблон:Sfn

1975: Second place at the Tour

With victories at Milan–San Remo and Amstel Gold Race, Merckx opened the 1975 season in good form, also winning the Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme.Шаблон:Sfn In the Catalan Week, Merckx lost his super domestique Bruyère, who had helped Merckx to victory in years past many times, to a broken leg.Шаблон:Sfn Two days following the Catalan Week, Merckx participated in the Tour of Flanders.Шаблон:Sfn He launched an attack with eighty kilometers to go, with only Frans Verbeeck being able to match his acceleration.Шаблон:Sfn Verbeeck was dropped as the race reached five kilometers remaining, allowing Merckx to take his third Tour of Flanders victory.Шаблон:Sfn In Paris–Roubaix, Merckx suffered a flat tire with around eighty kilometers left when a part of a leading group of four.Шаблон:Sfn After chasing for three kilometers, he caught the three other riders and the group rode into the finish together; De Vlaeminck won the day.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx won his fifth Liège–Bastogne–Liège by attacking several times in the closing portions of the race.Шаблон:Sfn

Merckx's attitude while racing had changed: riders expected him to chase down attacks, which angered him.Шаблон:Sfn Notably, in the Tour de Romandie he was riding with race leader Zoetemelk as an attack occurred.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx refused to chase the break down, and the two lost fourteen minutes.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx contracted a cold and, later, tonsilitis while racing in the spring campaign.Шаблон:Sfn This caused him to be in poor form, forcing him to not participate in the Giro d'Italia.Шаблон:Sfn He then rode in the Dauphiné Libéré and was not on par with Thevenet, who won the race.Шаблон:Sfn At the Tour de Suisse, De Vlaeminck won the race as a whole, while Merckx finished second.Шаблон:Sfn

A cyclist holding his hands aloft.

Merckx crossing the finish line to win the 1975 Amstel Gold Race

He placed second in the Tour de France's prologue.Шаблон:Sfn The following morning's split stage saw Merckx put time on Thevenet by attacking with Francesco Moser, Van Impe, and Zoetemelk.Шаблон:Sfn In day's second leg, Merckx gained time on Zoetemelk.Шаблон:Sfn He won the stage six individual time trial and gaining more time on Thevenet and Zoetemelk.Шаблон:Sfn He won the next time trial into Auch as well.Шаблон:Sfn During the race's eleventh stage, Merckx sent his team to set the pace early on in the stage.Шаблон:Sfn Reaching the final climb of the day, Merckx was on his own as his team had been used to set the pace throughout the day.Шаблон:Sfn On the day's final climb to Pla d'Adet, he matched an acceleration by Zoetemelk.Шаблон:Sfn Thevenet then launched an attack, to which Merckx could not follow and saw him lose over two minutes.Шаблон:Sfn After the stage Merckx switched decided to mark Thevenet for the rest of the race and make an attack on the Puy-de-Dôme.Шаблон:Sfn

While climbing the Puy-de-Dôme, Thevenet and Van Impe attacked.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx followed at his own pace and kept the two riders within a hundred meters.Шаблон:Sfn With about 150 m remaining, Merckx was prepared to sprint to the line, but was punched in the back by a spectator, Nello Breton.Шаблон:Sfn He crossed the line thirty-four seconds behind Thevenet and proceeded to vomit after catching his breath.Шаблон:Sfn The punch left him with a large bruise.Шаблон:Sfn During the rest day he was found to have an inflamed liver for which he was prescribed blood thinners.Шаблон:Sfn

The stage following the rest day featured five climbs, Merckx felt a pain on the third climb in the area of the punch and had a teammate get him an analgesic.Шаблон:Sfn Thevenet attacked several times on the climb of the Col des Champs, all of which Merckx countered.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx retaliated by speeding away on the descent.Шаблон:Sfn On the start of the next climb, Merckx had his Molteni teammates set the pace and he distanced himself from his competitors before the start of the final climb.Шаблон:Sfn However, as Merckx began the final climb he cracked. Thevenet caught and passed him with four kilometers left.Шаблон:Sfn Gimondi, Van Impe, and Zoetemelk passed Merckx, who finished fifth and one minute and twenty-six seconds down.Шаблон:Sfn The following day, Merckx caught up with the leading breakaway and wanted to push ahead, but the riders chose not to participate in the pace making, leading Merckx to sit up and get caught.Шаблон:Sfn He lost two more minutes to Thevenet, who attacked on the Col d'Izoard.Шаблон:Sfn He crashed in the next leg, breaking a cheekbone, and gained some time on Thevenet before the finish in Paris.Шаблон:Sfn He finished in second place, the first time he had lost a Tour in his six starts.Шаблон:Sfn

1976: A record seventh Milan–San Remo

He opened his 1976 season with his record seventh victory in Milan–San Remo.Шаблон:Sfn He followed with a victory in the Catalan Week, but suffered a crash in the final stage when a spectator's bag caught his handlebars, injuring his elbow.Шаблон:Sfn This injury plagued his performance throughout the spring classic season.Шаблон:Sfn He entered the Giro d'Italia but failed to win a stage for the first time in his career.Шаблон:Sfn He finished the race in eighth overall while battling a saddle boil throughout the race.Шаблон:Sfn Following the Giro's conclusion Merckx announced that he and his team Molteni would not take part in the Tour de France.Шаблон:Sfn He took part in the men's road race at the UCI Road World Championships and finished in fifth position.Шаблон:Sfn He ended his season in October after racing for most of August.Шаблон:Sfn He failed to win the Super Prestige Pernod International, a competition where riders were awarded points for their placements in certain professional races, for the first time since 1968.Шаблон:Sfn In the first two months of his off-season, Merckx spent the majority of his time lying down.Шаблон:Sfn Molteni ended their sponsorship at the end of the season.Шаблон:Sfn

1977–1978: Fiat France and C&A

A cyclist posing for a photo.

Raphaël Géminiani (pictured during the 1954 Tour de France) became Merckx's new team manager with Fiat France for the 1977 season.

Fiat France became the new sponsor for Merckx's team and Raphaël Géminiani the new manager.Шаблон:Sfn He got his season's first victories in the Grand Prix d'Aix and Tour Méditerranéen.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx agreed to ride a light spring season in order to save himself for a chance at a sixth Tour victory.Шаблон:Sfn He took one stage at the Paris–Nice but had to withdraw from the race's final stage due to sinusitis.Шаблон:Sfn In the spring classics, Merckx did not win any races, with his best finish being a sixth place in the Liège–Bastogne–Liège.Шаблон:Sfn Before the Tour, Merckx raced both the Dauphiné Libéré and Tour de Suisse, winning one stage of the latter.Шаблон:Sfn

He admitted his poor form and anxiety about aggravating previous injuries going into the Tour de France.Шаблон:Sfn He held on to second place overall for two weeks.Шаблон:Sfn As the race entered the Alps, Merckx began to lose more time; he lost thirteen minutes on the stage to Alpe d'Huez alone.Шаблон:Sfn On the stage into Saint-Étienne, Merckx attacked and gained enough time to move into sixth overall; he finished the Tour in the same position.Шаблон:Sfn In the time following the Tour, Merckx raced twenty-two races in a span of forty days before coming in thirty-third at the UCI Road World Championships men's road race.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx earned his final victory on the road on 17 September in a kermis race.Шаблон:Sfn In late December, Fiat France chose to end their sponsorship of Merckx in favor of building a more French centered squad.Шаблон:Sfn

In January, the department store C&A announced that they would sponsor a new team for Merckx after their owner met Merckx at a football game.Шаблон:Sfn His plan for the season was to race one last Tour de France and then ride several smaller races for appearances.Шаблон:Sfn He raced a total of five races in the 1978 calendar.Шаблон:Sfn His last victory was in a track event, an omnium in Zürich, on 10 February 1978 with Patrick Sercu.^[20] His first road race came in the Grand Prix de Montauroux on 19 February.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx came to the front of the race and put in a large effort before swinging off and quitting the race.Шаблон:Sfn His best finish came in the Tour de Haut, where he managed fifth.Шаблон:Sfn He dropped out of Omloop Het Volk due to colitis and completed his final race on 19 March, a kermis in Kemzeke.Шаблон:Sfn Following the race, Merckx went on a vacation to go skiing.Шаблон:Sfn He returned from travel to train more, but by this point the team sponsor knew he was going to quit.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx announced his retirement from the sport on 18 May.Шаблон:Sfn He stated that the doctors advised him against racing.Шаблон:Sfn

Retirement

Шаблон:Main Шаблон:Multiple image Following his exit from racing, Merckx opened up Eddy Merckx Cycles on 28 March 1980 in Brussels.Шаблон:Sfn The initial workers that were hired for the factory were trained by Ugo De Rosa, a notable bike maker, before starting.Шаблон:Sfn The company almost went bankrupt at one point and was also caught up in a tax repayment controversy.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx would spend time giving input on the models as they were being produced.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn Despite the financial problems the brand became highly regarded and successful, being used by several top-level cycling teams in the 1980s and 1990s.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx stepped down as CEO in 2008 and sold most of his shares,Шаблон:Sfn but still tests the bikes that are created and has some input.Шаблон:Sfn Cycling journalist Sam Dansie believes that Eddy Merckx Cycles has maintained a presence as an elite bicycle due to its adoption of new methods over time.Шаблон:Sfn As of January 2015, the business is still based in Belgium and distributes to over twenty-five countries.^[21]

Merckx managed the Belgian national team world championships for eleven years, between 1986 and 1996.Шаблон:Sfn He acted as the race director for the Tour of Flanders for a brief period of time.Шаблон:Sfn He temporarily sponsored a youth developmental team with CGER Bank, a team that featured his son Axel.Шаблон:Sfn He helped organize the Grand Prix Eddy Merckx, which started out as an invitation only individual time trial event, later becoming a two-man time trial event.Шаблон:Sfn The event folded after 2004 due to riders' lack of interest.Шаблон:Sfn

He played a pivotal role in getting the Tour of Qatar started in 2002.^[22] In 2001 Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former Emir of Qatar, reached out to Merckx and told him of his interest in starting a bicycle race to show off his country.^[22] Merckx then contacted then Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) president Hein Verbruggen, who checked out Qatar's roads.^[22] Following a successful inspection, Merckx contacted the Amaury Sport Organisation about working with him planning the race; they agreed in 2001.^[22] Merckx officially co-owned the race with Dirk De Pauw and helped organize it until the race was cancelled before the 2017 edition due to financial reasons.^[22]^[23]^[24] In addition, Merckx also helped Qatar secure the right to host the 2016 UCI Road World Championships, as well as designing the race route for the road race.^[22]^[23]^[24] Merckx briefly co-owned and helped start the Tour of Oman in 2010.^[25] In 2015, Merckx said later that although he was not racing, he knew would still be involved with the sport "as a bike builder, first in the factory and now as an ambassador."^[26] In November 2017, it was announced that Merckx and his partner Dirk De Pauw split with Tour of Oman organizer ASO following an undisclosed dispute.^[24]

Personal life

Eddy Merckx talking.

Eddy Merckx during an interview in 2010

Merckx officially began dating Claudine Acou in April 1965.Шаблон:Sfn Acou was a 21-year-old teacher and daughter of the trainer of the national amateur team.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx asked her father for permission to marry her between track races.Шаблон:Sfn On 5 December 1967 Merckx married Acou after four years of courtship.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn She would often handle the press for her husband, who was shy.Шаблон:Sfn Acou gave birth to their first child, Sabrina, on 14 February 1970.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx skipped a team training camp to be with his wife for Sabrina's birth.Шаблон:Sfn Acou later gave birth to a son, Axel, who also became a professional cyclist.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn Merckx was brought up speaking Flemish, but was taught French in school.Шаблон:Sfn

In 1996 Albert II of Belgium, King of the Belgians, gave him the title of baron.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn In Italy, Merckx was given the title of Cavaliere.Шаблон:Sfn In 2011, he was named Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur by then French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris.Шаблон:Sfn^[27] Merckx has become an ambassador for the Damien The Leper Society, a foundation named after a Catholic priest, which battles leprosy and other diseases in developing countries.Шаблон:Sfn He was blessed by Pope John Paul II in Brussels in the 1990s.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx is an art lover and stated that his favorite artist is René Magritte, a surrealist.^[10] Salvador Dalí is another of his favorites.^[10]

Before starting the third stage of the 1968 Giro d'Italia,^[28] Merckx was found to have a heart condition.^[29] A cardiologist, Giancarlo Lavezzaro, found that Merckx had non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a disease that has killed several young athletes.^[28]^[29] In 2013, Merckx was given a pacemaker to help correct a heart rhythm issue.^[29] The surgery was performed in Genk on 21 March and done as a preventative procedure.^[29] Merckx stated that he never had any heart issues while racing, despite the fact that several males in his family died young of heart related problems.^[28]^[29] In May 2004, he had an esophagus operation to cure stomach aches suffered since he was young.^[30] In August, he reported that he lost nearly 30 kg after the procedure.^[30] On 13 October 2019, Merckx was hospitalised after a cycling accident, having suffered a haemorrhage and being unconscious for a while. He was released a week later.^[31]

Career achievements

Шаблон:Main

Legacy

Файл:Eddy Merckx Molteni 1973.jpg

Merckx (pictured in August 1973) was a successful cyclist on the road and on the track, with a record of 525 victories to his credit over the course of his career.

Merckx has been regarded by many as the greatest and most successful cyclist of all time.^[1]^[8]Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn^[32]^[33] He rode well in the Grand Tours and in the one-day classics.^[34] He was a very good time trialist and climber.^[6]Шаблон:Sfn^[32] In addition, Merckx showed great ability to race on the track.^[32] He was known for racing style that consisted of attacking constantly, which came to be known as la course en tête ("the race in the lead") for which the documentary on Merckx, "La Course en Tête" (which also has the double meaning of 'the race in your head') was named. Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Refn Attacking for Merckx was the best form of defence.Шаблон:Sfn He would spend a day in a breakaway and then make another significant attack the following day.Шаблон:Sfn Despite his constant attacking, he would occasionally ride in a defensive mindset, particularly when racing the Giro and facing Fuente.Шаблон:Sfn Merckx entered over 1,800 races during his career and won a total of 525.^[1]^[19]^[32]^[34]^[35] Due to his dominance in the sport some cycling historians refer to the period in which he raced as the "Merckx Era."Шаблон:Sfn During his professional career, he won 445 of the 1585 races he entered.^[8] Between the years of 1967 and 1977 Merckx raced between 111 and 151 races each season.Шаблон:Sfn In 1971, he raced 120 times and won 54 of the events,Шаблон:Sfn the most races any cyclist has won in a season. Merckx admits that he was the best of his generation, but insists it's not practical to compare across generations.^[33] Given the specialization of a cyclist's role in the modern peloton, Merckx's number of road race victories will most likely never be surpassed in the future.

Merckx is one of the three riders to win all five 'Monuments of Cycling' (i.e., Milan–San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris–Roubaix, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and the Giro di Lombardia), the other two being Rik Van Looy and Roger De Vlaeminck.^[6]Шаблон:Sfn He finished his career with nineteen victories across the monuments, more than any other rider and eight more than the rider with the second most.^[6]Шаблон:Sfn^[19] He won twenty-eight classic races,^[32] with Paris–Tours being the only race he did not win. The closest he came to victory in the race was sixth in the 1973 race. A lesser Belgian rider, Noël van Tyghem, won Paris–Tours in 1972^[36] and said: "Between us, I and Eddy Merckx have won every classic that can be won. I won Paris–Tours, Merckx won all the rest."^[37]

Шаблон:Quote box While racing, he became the third rider to win all three Grand Tours in his career, a feat that has since been accomplished by more riders.Шаблон:Sfn^[34] He holds the record for most Grand Tour victories with 11, along with the record for most stage wins across all three Grand Tours with 64.^[35] He has completed the most Giro-Tour doubles in history with three.^[34]^[35] He was the first rider to win cycling's Triple Crown which has only been accomplished one other time, by Stephen Roche in 1987.^[6]Шаблон:Sfn^[32] He is the only rider to win the general, points and mountains classifications at the Giro d'Italia, in 1968, and at the Tour de France, in 1969.Шаблон:Sfn Since then, the general, points and mountains classifications have been won at the Vuelta a España by Tony Rominger in 1993 and by Laurent Jalabert in 1995.Шаблон:Sfn He shares the record for most victories at both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France, with five wins at each.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn In those races he also holds the records for days spent in the race leader's jersey at 78 and 96 respectively.Шаблон:Sfn^[38] For his career successes in the Giro d'Italia, Merckx became the first rider inducted into the race's Hall of Fame in 2012.^[38]^[39] When being inducted, Merckx was given the modern-day trophy with the winners engraved until 1974, the last year he won the race.^[38]^[39] At the Tour, he shares the record for most stage wins in its history, with thirty-four.^[32]^[35]Шаблон:Sfn The Grand Départ for the 2019 Tour de France was held in Brussels, Belgium to honor Merckx's first Tour de France win in 1969.^[40]^[41]

He was given the nickname "The Cannibal" by the daughter of Christian Raymond, a teammate of Merckx's.^[33]Шаблон:Sfn Raymond had commented on Merckx not allowing anyone else to win, to which his daughter referred to Merckx as a cannibal.Шаблон:Sfn^[33] Raymond liked the nickname and then mentioned it to the press.Шаблон:Sfn In Italy, he was known as il mostro ("the Monster").Шаблон:Sfn

Dutch cyclist Joop Zoetemelk said "First there was Merckx, and then another classification began behind him."^[8] Cycling journalist and commentator Phil Liggett wrote that if Merckx started a race, many riders acknowledged that they likely would be competing for second place.Шаблон:Sfn Ted Costantino wrote that Merckx was undoubtedly the number one cyclist of all time, whereas in other sports there are debates that go on about who is actually the greatest of all time.^[8] Gianni Motta told of how Merckx would ride without a racing cape when it was snowing or raining in order to go faster than other riders.Шаблон:Sfn Even after his retirement, many subsequent stars still feel overshadowed by his fame and race results. Merckx befriended Fiorenzo Magni when he began racing for an Italian team.^[42] He was criticized by opposing riders for his relentless pursuit of victory that prevented even lesser known riders from collecting a few victories.Шаблон:Sfn When told that he won too much, Merckx stated that "The day when I start a race without intending to win it, I won't be able to look at myself in the mirror."Шаблон:Sfn

Records Overview

Grand Tours

Файл:Eddy Merckx, TDF 1970.jpg

Eddy Merckx in the 1970 Tour de France.

Most Grand Tour wins: 11
Most consecutive Grand Tours wins: 4 in 1972 Giro d'Italia, 1972 Tour de France, 1973 Vuelta a España & 1973 Giro d'Italia
Most Grand Tour stage wins: 64
Most Tour de France wins: 5 in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 & 1974 (record shared with Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Induráin)
Most Tour de France stage wins: 34 (record shared with Mark Cavendish)
Most stage wins in 1 Tour de France: 8 in 1970 (record shared with Charles Pélissier and Freddy Maertens)
Most days in Tour de France yellow jersey Файл:Jersey gold.svg: 96
Winner of all 3 specialties in 1 Tour de France (mountain, sprint, and individual time trial) in 1974 (record shared with Bernard Hinault and Wout van Aert)
The only general, points and mountains classification winner in the Tour de France: 1969
Most Tour de France combativity awards Файл:Jersey red number.svg: 4 in 1969, 1970, 1974 & 1975
Most Giro d'Italia wins: 5 in 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973 & 1974 (record shared with Alfredo Binda and Fausto Coppi)
Most days in Giro d'Italia pink jersey Файл:Jersey rosa.svg: 78
The only general, points and mountains classification winner in the Giro d'Italia: 1968

Classic races

Winner of all 5 Monuments of Cycling (record shared with Rik Van Looy and Roger De Vlaeminck)
Most victories in all Monuments: 19
The only winner of 3 Monuments in 1 year: 4 times in 1969, 1971, 1972 & 1975
The only cyclist to win all 5 Monuments more than once
Most victories in classic races: 28
Most victories in a single classic: 7 in Milan–San Remo 1966, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1975 & 1976
Most Liège–Bastogne–Liège wins: 5 in 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973 & 1975
Most Gent–Wevelgem wins: 3 in 1967, 1970 & 1973 (shared record)

Other

Файл:Jan Janssen, Eddy Merckx, Ramon Saez Marzo 1967.jpg

Merckx celebrating his first UCI world title in 1967.

Most road races won by a professional cyclist: 525
Most road races won in 1 season: 54 (of 120 entries) in 1971
UCI World hour record Файл:MaillotMundialCrono.PNG: 1972
Most UCI World Road Championships Файл:Jersey rainbow.svg: 3 in 1967, 1971 & 1974 (record shared with Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen, Óscar Freire and Peter Sagan)
Triple Crown of Cycling winner: 1974 (record shared with Stephen Roche)
Monument winner, Grand Tour winner and UCI World Champion in 1 year: 1971 (record shared with Alfredo Binda, Bernard Hinault and Remco Evenepoel)
Most Super Prestige Pernod wins: 7 in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 & 1975
Most Escalada a Montjuïc wins: 6 in 1966, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974 & 1975
Most Giro di Sardegna wins: 4 in 1968, 1971, 1973 & 1975
Most Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme wins: 2 in 1975 and 1976 (shared record)

World hour record

Discipline	Record	Date	Event	Velodrome	Шаблон:Abbr
Hour record	49.431 km	25 October 1972	—	Agustín Melgar Olympic Velodrome, Mexico City	^[43]

Doping

A cyclist wearing a jersey that reads "Faema."

Merckx (pictured during at 1969 Six Days of Milan) was involved in three separate doping incidents during his career.

Merckx was leading the 1969 Giro d'Italia upon the conclusion of the sixteenth stage in Savona.^[44]^[45]^[46] After the stage, Merckx went to the mobile lab that traveled with the race and conducted the drug tests.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Refn Merckx's first test came up positive for fencamfamine, an amphetamine.^[44]^[45]^[46]Шаблон:Sfn A second test was conducted and also came up positive.^[45]^[46]Шаблон:Sfn Controversially, the results of the test were announced to the press before Merckx and his team were informed.^[47] The positive test meant Merckx was to be suspended for a month.^[48] Race director Vincenzo Torriani delayed the start of the seventeenth stage in an attempt to persuade the president of the Italian Cycling Federation to allow Merckx to begin the stage.^[46] However, the president was not in his office and Torriani was forced to start the stage, disqualifying Merckx in the process.^[46] In the succeeding days, the UCI removed the suspension put in place.^[45]^[46]

From the start, Merckx claimed his innocence saying that "I am a clean rider, I do not need to take anything to win." Prior, Merckx was tested 8 times negative in this Giro.^[49] The major part of the international press believed in Merckx’ innocence, stating that with his lead, it was illogical that he would use banned substances in an easy stage, moreover knowing a doping test was likely to follow (being the leader).^[50] He maintains that his samples were mishandled.^[45]^[46]Шаблон:Sfn After the incident, several conspiracy theories emerged including: the urine that tested positive was not Merckx's,Шаблон:Sfn and Merckx had been given a water bottle with the stimulant in itШаблон:Sfn⁠Шаблон:Nowrapostensibly all moves to give Italian Felice Gimondi a better chance at victory.Шаблон:Sfn Шаблон:Sfn^[47]

On 8 November 1973, it was announced that Merckx had tested positive for norephedrine after winning the Giro di Lombardia a month earlier.^[51]^[52] Upon learning of the first test being positive in later October, he had a counter-analysis performed which also turned up positive.^[51] The drug was present in a cough medicine that the Molteni doctor, Dr. Cavalli, prescribed to him.^[51] Merckx was disqualified from the race and the victory was awarded to second-place finisher Gimondi.^[51]^[52]^[53] In addition, Merckx was given a month suspension and fined 150,000 lira.^[51]^[52] Merckx admitted his fault in taking the medicine but said that the name norephedrine was not on the bottle of cough syrup he used.^[51] Norephedrine was later removed from the WADA-list of banned substances.^[54]

On 8 May 1977, Merckx, along with several other riders, tested positive for pemoline, a stimulant in Stimul, at La Flèche Wallonne.^[55]^[56]^[57]^[58]^[59] The group of riders was charged by the Belgian cycling federation, and the riders were each given a 24,000 pesetas fine and a one-month suspension.^[59] Initially, Merckx announced his intention to appeal the penalty, saying he only took substances that were not on the banned list.^[59] Merckx's 8th-place finish in the race was voided. Years later, Merckx admitted he did take a banned substance, citing that he was wrong to have trusted a doctor.

Due to Merckx's positive tests during his career, he was asked by the event organizers to stay away from the 2007 UCI Road World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.^[60] The organizers stated that Шаблон:Nowrap had to be role models", while Merckx wrote them off claiming them to be crazy.^[60] Merckx was not alone, as several other riders were asked to keep their distance from the event.^[60]

Honours and awards

Titles of honour

Файл:Legion Honneur Chevalier ribbon.svg Knight of the French Legion of Honour: 1975
Файл:BEL Order of Leopold II - Officer BAR.png Officer in the Belgian Order of Leopold II: 1996^[61]
Файл:Legion Honneur Commandeur ribbon.svg Commander of the French Legion of Honour: 2014^[62]
Файл:Cavaliere OMRI BAR.svg Knight in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Файл:Olympic Rings black.svg Silver Olympic Order: 1995^[63]
Created Baron Merckx by Royal Decree, with devise Post Proelia Praemia: 1996
Honorary doctorate of the university VUB: 2011^[64]
BOIC Order of Merit: 2013^[65]
Merckx is honorary citizen of Meise, Tielt-Winge and Tervuren^[66]^[67]^[68]

Sport awards and honours

Шаблон:Div col

Belgian National Sports Merit Award: 1967^[69]
Belgian Sportsman of the Year: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974^[70]
Tour de France Overall Combativity award: 1969, 1970, 1974, 1975
Tour de France Stage Combativity award (14): 4 in 1975; 3 in 1970; 2 in 1969, 1974 & 1977; 1 in 1971
PAP European Sportsperson of the Year: 1969, 1970^[69]
Worldwide Sportsman of the Year: 1969, 1971, 1974^[69]
Grand Prix de l'Académie des Sport (fr): 1969
Mendrisio d'Or (fr): 1972, 2011
Gan Challenge: 1973, 1974, 1975^[71]
Swiss AIOCC Trophy (fr): 1980, 2021^[72]
Procyclingstats.com – All Time Wins Ranking (1st place, 283 wins)^[73]
Belgian Sportsman of the 20th Century: 1999^[74]
Reuters Worldwide Sports Personality of the Century (7th place): 1999^[75]
Reuters General Sportsman of the Century (2nd place): 1999^[76]
UCI Cyclist of the 20th Century: 2000^[77]
Marca Legend: 2000^[78]
Vincenzo Torriani Award: 2001^[79]
Introduced in the UCI Hall of Fame: 2002
UCI Top 100 of All Time: (1st place, 24 510 points)
Memoire du Cyclisme – Ranking of the Greatest Cyclists (1st place): 2002^[80]
Bronzen Zinneke: 2006^[81]
Bleacher Report – The 30 Most Dominant Athletes of All Time (20th): 2010^[82]
Bleacher Report – Tour de France All-Time Top 25 Riders (1st place): 2011^[83]
Italian Sport and Civilization Award: 2011^[84]
First Member Giro Hall of Fame: 2012^[85]
Topito – Top 15 Greatest Cyclists Ever (1st place): 2012^[86]
L'Équipe Trophée Champion des Champions de Légende: 2014^[87]
Rouleur Hall of Fame: 2018^[88]
Velonews The Greatest Cyclists of All Time (1st place): 2019^[89]
Wiggle The Best Cyclists Ever Rank (1st place): 2020^[90]
Eurosport Greatest General Classification Cyclist of all Time: 2020^[91]
CyclingRanking – Overall Ranking (1st place): 2022^[92]
Vélo d'Or honorary award: 2023^[93]

Шаблон:Div col end

Places and statues

Файл:Monument Eddy Merckx te Wolvertem.jpg

Eddy Merckx Monument in Meise

Monument in Stavelot: 1993^[94]
Vélodrome Eddy Merckx, Mourenx: 1999^[95]
Eddy Merckx metro station, Brussels: 2003^[96]
Vlaams Wielercentrum Eddy Merckx (nl), Gent: 2006^[97]
Momument in Meise: 2015^[98]
Statue in Meensel-Kiezegem: 2015^[99]
Square Eddy Merckx in Sint-Pieters-Woluwe: 2019^[100]

Events and awards

Golden Bike Eddy Merckx: a race for novices from 1983 to 2008^[101]
Grand Prix Eddy Merckx^[102]
Chiba Alpencup (de) Eddy Merckx Classics^[103]
Start of the 2019 Tour de France in Brussels in honour of Eddy Merckx^[104]
From 2023, the Vélo d'Or "Eddy Merckx trophy" is awarded for the best classics cyclist^[105]

Merckx on a 1969 Stamp of Ajman

Music

The single Vas-Y Eddy (1967) by Jean Saint-Paul is notable for being the first recorded song about Merckx
Eddy Prend Le Maillot Jaune, a song by Pierre-André Gil was released after his first Tour de France victory
The single Bravo Eddy! by Jean Narcy was released in 1970
Eddy Est Imbattable! by Pierre-André Gil was released in 1971
Merckx is mentioned in the 1974 song Paris-New York, New York-Paris by Jacques Higelin
Eddy Merckx is a song by the Belgian band Sttellla on the album Il faut tourner l'Apache in 1998
He is quoted in Mysa's 2009 rap song Monde Sale: "...everything is fake, ask Eddy Merckx"
10 Speed Cannibal, a song by the band CröMöly was released in 2011

Films and series

A 1973 Danish short film was made, Eddy Merckx in the Vicinity of a Cup of Coffee, starring Merckx and Walter Godefroot
In the 1973 comedy film The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob, Merckx was cited by Louis de Funès as the author of Che Guevara's famous quote: "The revolution is like a bicycle: when it doesn't move forward, it falls."
The 1974 documentary film La Course en Tête by Joël Santoni looks at the racing and private life of Merckx
The 1976 Danish documentary film A Sunday in Hell focuses on the contenders Merckx, Roger De Vlaeminck, Freddy Maertens, and Francesco Moser in the Paris–Roubaix race of that year
Merckx has a cameo in the 1985 sports drama film American Flyers, starring Kevin Costner
Merckx is the rival – more or less fantasized – of Benoît Poelvoorde in the 2001 film Le Vélo de Ghislain Lambert by Philippe Harel
In 2005, he appears in episode 39b of the second season of Space Goofs, where his character provides the Earth's core with energy, pedalling a stationary bike
Merckx has a cameo in the 2012 French-Belgian comedy film Torpedo by Matthieu Donck
The Flemish movie, set in the seventies Allez, Eddy was released in 2012
Eddy Merckx is the subject of an autobiographical fiction written by Christophe Van Staen, entitled Eddy Merckx, Nobel Prize? (Lamiroy, 2019)

Comic books

Les Fabuleux Exploits d'Eddy Merckx, a celebrity comic, was released in 1973. It was translated in different languages
Eddy Merckx appears in the comic strip San-Antonio Fait un Tour published by Fleuve Noir in 1973
He appears as a speedy messenger in the comic book Asterix in Belgium of the Asterix series by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, published in 1979
A tribute to Eddy Merckx is paid in the 1987 Boule et Bill album nr. 24, Billets de Bill
Merckx also appears in album 79 (1988) of the Robert en Bertrand series and album 247 (1996) of the Spike and Suzy series.^[106]
Another tribute is paid in one of the adventures of Donald Duck, who must compete against the champion of his uncle's rival: "Dydy Berkxz"

Books