Eddy Merckx

The baron Edouard Louis Joseph (Eddy) Merckx , born the June 17th 1945 with Meensel-Kiezegem, small commune of the the Flemish Brabant in the east of Leuwen, is a Belgian cyclist .

Biography

Eddy Merckx begins its career of racing cyclist the July 16th 1961 with Laeken in the category initial. It gains its first large title, that of world champion amateur, three years later. The following year, on May 1st, 1965, it passes professional. Since this date, it connects the victories and ends up having the greatest prize list of the history of cycling. Indeed, it does not count less than 525 victories to its credit. This number impressing of victories is worth to him the nickname of Cannibale . Among his most important victories, one can quote five turns of France, five turns of Italy, a turn of Spain and 19 total victories in the five Traditional “Monument”.
It took its retirement on May 17th, 1978. Since then, it holds a factory of cycles with its name (Entreprise Eddy Merckx) and is also consulting for RTBF. It also organizes, each year, the “ Grand Prix Eddy Merckx ” - a race against the clock around Brussels - which brings together the best cyclists of the world.

He is regarded by much as the largest cyclist of all times. He is also regarded as the best Belgian sportsman having ever existed. He was appointed world Sportif of the year with three recoveries.

He was sanctioned with three recoveries for in businesses of doping: Turn of Italy 1969 (excluded by the Italian federation, it will be finally bleached by its federation), Tour of Lombardy 1973 (positive with noradrenalin, downgraded), Flèche Wallone 1977 (positive with the stimul, downgraded).

In September 2007, organizers of the Championships of the world of Stuttgart, " eager to promote a cycling propre" , declare it " indésirable" on their test.

Records

greater number of victories in a career cyclist: 525.
Recordman of the hour on track: 49,431 km.
greater number of victories in one season: 54.
greater number of victories of stage to the Tour de France: 34.
greater number of victories of stage in a Tour de France: 8 in 1970 and 1974 (record divided with Charles Pelissier in 1930 and Freddy Maertens in 1976).
greater number of days with the yellow jersey of the Tour de France on its shoulders: 96.
It is the only runner to have gained the yellow jersey, green and the classification of the mountain at the time of same the turn of France in 1969 (the white distinctive shirt with the red pea of best climbing was created only in 1975).

Anecdotes

His/her son, Axel Merckx, was also racing cyclist. He took his retirement in 2007.
Guillaume Driessens, his sport director, said of him: Eddy is not paid for marrer, but to gain.
It did more than 12 times it tower of the ground with bicycle at the time of its career.
Albert II, king of the Belgians, conferred to him the title of baron in 1996.
It receives, of the UCI, the title of better cyclist of the century.
It appears in the film the Price of the exploit (American Flyers) of John Badham (1985), with Kevin Costner and David Marshall Grant. It gives the departure to it, with the gun, of the race the Hell of the West , in which the protagonists of film take part. The image is probably borrowed from a real event.
a station of the Métro of Brussels bears its name.

Teams

Solo-Superia: April 29th, 1965 - 1965 (… at the sides of Rik Van Looy and Rik Van Steenbergen)
Peugeot BP Michelin: 1966-1967
Faema: 1968-1969 (the Faema team (Italian) of Eddy Merckx gains the World cup Intermarques in 1969)
Faemino: 1970
Molteni: 1971-1976 (with Eddy Merckx and its lieutenant, Joseph Heather, Molteni (Italian team) gain the Intermarques World cup into 1971,1972 and 1975)
FIAT: 1977
C&A: 1978- April 19th, 1978

Professional prize list

Prize winner of the Super Pernod Prestige: 1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975 (2nd: 1967)
Prize winner of Mendrisio d' Or: 1972
Prize winner of the Gan Challenge: 1973,1974,1975
Trophy of the Belgian sporting merit: 1967
Sporting Belgian of the year: 1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974
Belgian Athlete of the XXe century
Trophy UCI of the best cyclist of the XXe century
Awards of the sportsman of the Millenium: second, behind Michael Jordan (decreed in December 2000) (3rd: Carl Lewis)

World records of the hour: 49 km 431,957, on October 25th, 1972 in Mexico City (bicycle of 5kg 900)
World records of the 20 km: 24 ' 06" 80, the 10/25/1972
World records of the 10 km: 11 ' 53" 20, the 10/25/1972 (standing start without trainer)

Tour de France (5) (34 victories of stages): 1969,1970,1971,1972,1974 (2nd: 1975); Points scores: 1969,1971,1972 (2nd: 1970,1974,1975); Grand Prix of the mountain: 1969,1970 (2nd: 1972,1974,1975; 3rd: 1971); the team Faema de Merckx gains the classification by teams in 1969; Merckx is the only runner to have gained the three individual classifications the same year (1969); it holds the absolute records of days spent with the yellow jersey (96 days).
Turn of Italy (5) (25 victories of stages): 1968,1970,1972,1973,1974 (points score: 1973; classification of compound: 1973)
Turn of Spain (1): 1973 (6 victories of stages; points score; classification of compound; classification of the flying stages)

World champion (4): 1964 (amateur) - 1967,1971,1974 (4th: 1972,1973)
Champion of Europe on track (4): 1970,1974,1978 (with American, with Patrick Sercu) (its victory of 1978 is the any last of its career) 1975 (of Omnium)
Champion of Belgium on road: 1970 (2nd: 1972; 3rd: 1975)
Champion of Belgium on track (7):

1963,1964,1965 (with American the amateur, with Patrick Sercu) 1966,1968,1975 (with American, with Patrick Sercu) 1976 (with American)

Champion of Belgium beginners: 1962 (in Libramont)
Champion of Flandres: 1966 (2nd: 1972)
Champion of the Brabant: 1967,1968,1973
Grand Prix of the Nations: 1973

28 traditional major, including 19 Traditional “Monument”: 7 times Milan-San Remo (1966, 1967,1969,1971,1972,1975,1976), 2 times the Turn of Flandres (1969, 1975) (+1x3e), 3 times Paris-Roubaix (1968, 1970,1973) (+2x2e), 5 times Liege-Bastogne-Liege (1969, 1971,1972,1973,1975) (1x2e), and 2 times the Turn of Lombardy (1971, 1972) (2x2e).
Walloon Arrow: 1967,1970,1972 (2nd: 1973; 3rd: 1975)
Ghent-Wevelgem: 1967,1970,1973 (2nd: 1974)
Amstel Gold Race: 1973,1975
Paris-Brussels: 1973 (2nd: 1975)

(Lack with its prize list Paris-Turns)

Het Volk: 1971,1973
Paris-Nice: 1969,1970,1971 (2nd: 1972,1975; 3rd: 1973)
Dauphine released: 1971
Grand Prix of the free South: 1971
Turn of Switzerland: 1974 (2nd: 1975)
Turn of Belgium: 1970,1971
Paris-Luxembourg: 1969
Romano-Lombardo: 1968
Sassari-Cagliari: 1975
Forest-Meulebeke: 1969
Baracchi Trophy: 1966 (with Ferdinand Bracke), 1967 (with Bracke), 1972 (with Swerts) (3rd: 1974, with Roger De Vlaeminck)
Agostoni Cut: 1970 (2nd: 1966)
Turn of Morbihan: 1966
Turn of Sardinia: 1968,1971,1973,1975 (2nd: 1970)
Turn of Raising: 1969
Turn of Piedmont: 1972
Turn of Emilie: 1972
Turn of Romandie: 1968 (3rd: 1976)
Turn of Catalonia: 1968
Arrow brabançonne: 1972 (2nd: 1971,1976)
Catalan Week: 1975,1976
Through Lausanne: 1968,1970,1973
Circuit of the Three Valleys varésines: 1968
Grand Prix Pino Cerami: 1966
Critérium of the Aces: 1967,1970,1974
Assembled of San-Martino: 1970
Hill climb of Assembles Campione: 1973 (against-the-assembles, and final classification)
Escalade of Montjuich: 1975
Trophy of Laiguelia: 1973,1974 (2nd: 1972)
Mediterranean Trophy: 1977
Cronostaffetta: 1971 (with Hermann Van Springel and Swerts),
Price of Baden-Baden: 1971 (with Van Springel)
Ransom price: 1972 (with Swerts)
Grand Prix of the Scheldt: 1971
Grand Prix of Frankfurt: 1971 (2nd: 1972,1974)
Grand Prix of Fourmies: 1973 (1st of the two stages)
Critérium de Vilvoorde: 1965 (first victory Prof)
Critérium of the Sieve: 1967
Critérium of the Sieve: 1968
Critérium de Kluisbergen: 1977 (last victory)

gained 17 races of Six-Jours (including 15 with Patrick Sercu, 1 with Ferdinand Bracke, 1 with Jean-Pierre Stevens)

of Ghent: 1965,1967,1975,1977
of Charleroi: 1968
of Milan: 1971 (with Stevens) (2nd: 1969)
of Dortmund: 1973 (2nd: 1975)
of Grenoble: 1973,1975 (2nd: 1977)
of Antwerp: 1974,1975,1976 (2nd: 1966,1967)
of Rotterdam: 1976 (2nd: 1973)
of Berlin: 1977 (2nd: 1967)
of Maastricht: 1977
of Munich: 1977 (2nd: 1975)
of Zurich: 1977

Omnium of Yvetot: 1969
Omnium of Milan: 1970 (with Jean-Pierre Monséré)
Omnium of Ostend: 1973
Tournament of continuation of Amsterdam: 1973
Omnium of Geneva: 1974,1975
Omnium of Luxembourg: 1974
Omnium of Zurich: 1975
Omnium of Marseilles: 1976
Omnium of Vincennes: 1977

2nd of the Challenge Swell-of But-Clicteur: 1975

2nd Championship of Zurich: 1975
2nd Tirréno-Adriatico: 1976
2nd of the Six-Jours of Brussels: 1965
2nd of the Six-Jours of Cologne: 1968
4th 4 Days of Dunkirk: 1974
6th Blois-Chavilles: 1973
8th Turn-Versailles: 1968

12th with the Olympic Games of Tokyo, test on road

Prize list Amateur

1965

Price of Oetingem
Price of Wijnendale-Ichtegem
Price of Ophasselt-Hekelgem
Price of Enschede-Munster

1964:

Championship of the world on road with Sallanches (FR)
Brussels-Opwijk
Strombeek-Bever
Price of Rhode-Saint-Genesis
Price of Genappe
Price of Ophasselt-Hekelgem
Price of Alost
Price of Aasrode
Price of Steenokkerzeel
Price of the omnium of Forest
Price of Oostrozebeke (1st test)
Price of Hekelgem
Price of Jodoigne
Price of Ottignies
Price of Kersten
Price of Middelkerke
Price of Oostrozebeke (2nd test)
Price of the Old man Genappe
Price of Jauche
Price of Evere
Price of Ganshoren
Price of Braine-the-Count
Price of Nieuwerkerken
Price of Laeken

1963:

Turn of Limbourg
Brussels-Holy
Strombeek-Bever (1st test)
Strombeek-Bever (2nd test)
Price of Genappe
Price of Duisbourg
Price of Forest
Price of Hulpe
Price of Dworp
Price of Baasrode
Price of Hall
Price of Laeken
Price of Anderlecht (1st test)
Price of Anderlecht (2nd test)
Price of Brussels-Lasne
Price of Wavre-Holy-Catherine
Price of Tirlement
Price of Laeken (2nd test)
Price of Evere
Price of Huizingen
Price of Kessel-Lo
Price of Etterbeek
Price of Niewerkerken
Price of Dresden
Price of Sebnitz
Price of Mons (against-the-watch by team)
Six-Jours of the Future (with Patrick Sercu)

Prize list at the beginners (1962)

Price of Haacht
Price of Hall
Price of Beersel
Price Russet-red
Price of Hall (2nd test)
Price of Haacht (2nd test)
Price of Anderlecht
Price of Schaffen
Price of Gelrode
Price of Berchem-Saint-Laurent
Price of Mons

References

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