# Post-Tour Merckx appreciation



## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

Lest we forget... and, a bit of perspective.

1969, age 24: Wins the prologue TT in his first Tour start. 

"Merckx reclaimed the lead in stage six on the Col du Ballon d'Alsace, in the Vosges of eastern France where he attacked Roger De Vlaeminck, Altig, Rini Wagtmans and Manuel Galera. 
...
At the approach to the Ballon, Merckx came out of the bunch like a bullet... From the first slopes, he pushed the pace harder and dropped those who'd gone with him, judged a nuisance and of no use. At the summit, Altig had lost two minutes, the main challengers for victory were at 4m 30s, and Désiré Letort, who was wearing the yellow jersey, was relegated by more than seven minutes."
...
"Merckx won the 17th stage, over four cols from Luchon to Mourenx by eight minutes after riding alone for 140 km. He climbed the col du Tourmalet in a small group including Roger Pingeon and Raymond Poulidor, having dropped Felice Gimondi. On the final bend to the summit, Merckx attacked and opened a few seconds. By the foot of the col d'Aubisque he had more than a minute and by the top eight minutes. He maintained the pace for the remaining 70 km to Mourenx. 
...
He won the general classification (yellow jersey), points classification (green jersey) and the mountains classification. No other rider has achieved this triple in the Tour de France, and only Tony Rominger and Laurent Jalabert have matched it in any grand tour Merckx also won the combination classification and the combativity award. Merckx led the race from stage six to twenty-two. His 17 minute 54 second margin of victory over second-placed Roger Pingeon has never been matched since."
...
1970, age 25 "Merckx took the yellow jersey in the prologue, thrashing his bike. Jean-Paul Ollivier said:
"At the peak of effort he looks on his bike as though he is fighting an imaginary enemy. He is a pedaller of violence, but the violence is carefully directed, balanced, transformed into efficient energy. He already sees himself [est déjà entré dans la peau de] the winner of the Tour."
...
"Merckx had already won important races in 1970, including Paris–Roubaix, Paris–Nice, the Giro d'Italia and the Belgian national road championship."
...
"In the tenth stage, when the first medium mountains showed up, Merckx won the stage, and only three cyclists were able to stay with him, including Zoetemelk. Zoetemelk then rose to the second place, and he became the most imporant rival for Merckx.[14] Zoetemelk said that he would focus on defending his second place, because he thought Merckx was better than the rest of the world."

1971: "Merckx needed to recover the nine minutes he lost and he meant to do so by arriving in the valley with several minutes' lead with a good group of about eight riders. This way it would have been very difficult for the rest of the peloton behind to catch them in the 280km of the valley. In the 280 km of flat road he personally pulled the group for 250 km on his own! And of course the peloton behind him went very fast. There were all Merckx's adversaries and they were all interested in catching him. They all worked together for that. It was basically Merckx alone against all the others.

Merckx got to Marseille half an hour faster than the fastest expected time. The entire Kas team finished outside the time limit but were reinstated."


















All text from various wikipedia articles.
Images stolen from the internet.


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## psycleridr (Jul 21, 2005)

Long live the king!


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## cathyandrob (Jun 15, 2006)

*Shake my head....*

Every time I read stuff like that about Merckx, I shake my head, blaspheme, and wonder at the awesomeness of EM.

That's why I seven Merckx bikes, in a nostalgic attempt to have something, however small, of Eddy Merckx.


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## flyrunride (May 2, 2012)

It's nice i got the Tour de France Legends about Eddy Merckx, I hope in our generation we'll have someone like him. There was Coppi before him who even Merckx considers as Campionissimo and from what I read he was really hardcore cyclist just like EM  Hail to the King!!!


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## gordy748 (Feb 11, 2007)

flyrunride said:


> It's nice i got the Tour de France Legends about Eddy Merckx, I hope in our generation we'll have someone like him. There was Coppi before him who even Merckx considers as Campionissimo and from what I read he was really hardcore cyclist just like EM  Hail to the King!!!


Sagan? Tejay? Rolland? Reckon we'll see at least one if not all three become the next greats...


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## vismitananda (Jan 16, 2011)

gordy748 said:


> Sagan? Tejay? Rolland? Reckon we'll see at least one if not all three become the next greats...


Sad to say but IMHO no one in 30 years has surpassed EM's greatness. Even the late Fausto Coppi or the record breaking Lance Armstrong.

I have a big respect to EM, but sometimes I do wonder that even the slightest thing did he ever doped?


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

vismitananda said:


> I have a big respect to EM, but sometimes I do wonder that even the slightest thing did he ever doped?


Yes, they all doped back in the day.

The difference being, they used amphetamines, pain killers, maybe some corticosteroids. All of which are effective, but, not nearly as dramatic as EPO / HGH / modern steroids.


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## thechriswebb (Nov 21, 2008)

Merckx was in a class of his own. Coppi and Bartali both lost years of their careers to WWII and Thys lost years of his career to WWI but we can never really know for sure. When you compare Merckx's palmares to everyone else's, it looks ridiculous.


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## paredown (Oct 18, 2006)

Merckx also did his best racing after he hurt his back when his derny pacer crashed on the track (and was killed) in 1969. As he said:



> The crash in Blois was terrible for me. From that day cycling became suffering. I had stitches in my head and was scraped and bruised all over, but those injuries healed. I was lucky in a way in that I could have been killed, but the problem that crash gave me was the damage it did to my back. What happened was that my hips were knocked out of line with my body. It meant that my legs were also out of line with the rest of my body. After that day I could never sit comfortably on my bike again.


The Wiki article is quite good--and you can't help but think that with better sports doctors he might well have continued racing longer...


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## Cableguy (Jun 6, 2010)

Creakyknees said:


> Lest we forget... and, a bit of perspective.


I wonder just how much less he would have accomplished in this era of cycling where the top dogs are cheating on a different level, everything is highly calculated with race radios and televised coverage, and the level of competition in general is even higher.


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

Cableguy said:


> I wonder just how much less he would have accomplished in this era of cycling where the top dogs are cheating on a different level, everything is highly calculated with race radios and televised coverage, and the level of competition in general is even higher.


Yep... if you read the stories of the '69 vs '70 Tour, it's a microcosm ... in '69 he was unleashed like a wild animal, attacking constantly even after he had the jersey locked up. 

In '70, maybe a bit more mature, maybe a bit more tired from the early season, he rode smarter, didn't attack except where necessary. 

I think riders today, with radios, are more like the 1970 Merckx. Only Voeckler and Voigt come to mind like the '69 Merckx.


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## vismitananda (Jan 16, 2011)

Creakyknees said:


> Yes, they all doped back in the day.
> 
> The difference being, they used amphetamines, pain killers, maybe some corticosteroids. All of which are effective, but, not nearly as dramatic as EPO / HGH / modern steroids.


I see, I had read some of the great cyclist back then used them, even Jacques did.

Also blood doping was mainstream during the Pantani era.


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## vismitananda (Jan 16, 2011)

Creakyknees said:


> I think riders today, with radios, are more like the 1970 Merckx. Only Voeckler and Voigt come to mind like the '69 Merckx.


Indeed, attacking w/o race radios or any support w/ your team has a helluvah guts.

As for JV, his "Shut up legs, do as I told you" quote really gave today's youngsters a big inspiration, he's such a power horse in the team.


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## nate (Jun 20, 2004)

vismitananda said:


> I have a big respect to EM, but sometimes I do wonder that even the slightest thing did he ever doped?


To be specific, Merckx tested positive three times and I think they were all stimulants.


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## qatarbhoy (Aug 17, 2009)

Merckx contends the infamous Giro dope test was a set-up. The other two tests are mentioned on Wikipedia:



> _Merckx was also found positive after winning the Giro di Lombardia in 1973.[6] He had taken Mucantil (Iodinated glycerol).[52]
> 
> It was Dr Cavalli, of Molteni, who prescribed it to me a bit lightly [un peu légèrement]. And he admitted his error publicly. Looking back, I can't see why they could disqualify me for such a ridiculous and inoffensive product as norephedrine."[6]
> 
> ...


Whatever the truth, he is the Greatest Of All Time. I have a WC jersey signed by him, Thor Hushovd, Mark Cavendish and Tom Boonen. Only one of those riders is still likely to be talked about in 50 years.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*one was most notably*



nate said:


> To be specific, Merckx tested positive three times and I think they were all stimulants.


slipped into his test (where he was kicked out of the Giro)
Even Gimondi believes he was framed so as to not win the race again


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*in 69*



Cableguy said:


> I wonder just how much less he would have accomplished in this era of cycling where the top dogs are cheating on a different level, everything is highly calculated with race radios and televised coverage, and the level of competition in general is even higher.


race radios wouldn't have mattered. Merckx rode away and they all thought he was crazy
they thought 'he can't hold us all off'
radios wouldn't have changed that
he added something like 6 minutes on a single descent

Merckx rode from the front 'hold my wheel if you can'
no one has ever rode with such beautiful yet brutal panache

his 1971 winning percent was 45% that's just shy of winning every other race he entered
54 wins in a single season
8 stage wins in a single tour, 34 total
Most days in yellow
Most Classics Victories 28
Milan San Remo, Record # of victories7
11 Grand Tours

2 Rondes
3 Paris Roubaix
5 Liege Bastogne Liege
2 Lombaridas

that's 19 monuments

17 six day wins on the track
and a couple victories in cyclocross


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

oh and the photo over my daughters crib was not of family, nor Jesus
it was Eddy 1969 Tourmalet with his DS looking on in disbelief 
the 'angel' photo as it is called


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

I'll bet to most Americans, Lance Armstrong is the GOAT.


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## vismitananda (Jan 16, 2011)

nate said:


> To be specific, Merckx tested positive three times and I think they were all stimulants.


I acknowledged that


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## vismitananda (Jan 16, 2011)

aclinjury said:


> I'll bet to most Americans, Lance Armstrong is the GOAT.


Well as you already know it. This is the Eddy Merckz thread and Lance has nothing to do in here. He has his own league.

For the world record, "no one" will surpass his 7 TDF victories even he's proven guilty.


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## gusmahler (Apr 7, 2012)

aclinjury said:


> I'll bet to most Americans, Lance Armstrong is the GOAT.


The vast majority of Americans can only name one pro cyclist, so Lance is GOAT by default.

I'm actually surprised at how well known he is. I have friends who've never followed cycling or really any sports of any kind. But they know who Lance Armstrong is. That really shows you how big he really is. People who can only name two or three football players (all QBs, of course), and one or two baseball players know who Lance is. Even if just vaguely as that guy who rides his bike in France.


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

vismitananda said:


> Well as you already know it. This is the Eddy Merckz thread and Lance has nothing to do in here. He has his own league.
> 
> For the world record, "no one" will surpass his 7 TDF victories even he's proven guilty.


I heard that if found guilty, they could wipe his name completely from Le Tour annals. Kinda a big deal if you're into worshiping him based on 7 TDFs.


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## Chainstay (Mar 13, 2004)

*Boring - let someone else win*

When someone goes on a streak like Gilbert last year, Cancellera in the classics in 2010 and Cav + HTC three-year sprint dominance in the TdF, there are a lot of cycling fans hoping they will get knocked off the pedestal. 

We can admire Eddie from a distance but to be a race fan in the day? There would not have been much drama and it may have worn a little thin.


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

^ Indeed, his going-down-fighting attitude and second place in the '75 Tour made him more popular than his five wins did.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

and lest we forget he wasn't dominating a bunch of slouches. He was beating a who's who of cycling hall of famers
De Vlaeminck
Gimondi
Poulidor
Zootemelk
Godefroot
Simpson
Ocaña
Thevenet
Van Impe


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

atpjunkie said:


> and lest we forget he wasn't dominating a bunch of slouches. He was beating a who's who of cycling hall of famers
> De Vlaeminck
> Gimondi
> Poulidor
> ...


and... the original Fast Freddy:


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*thx*



Creakyknees said:


> and... the original Fast Freddy:


how could I forget Maertens?

what a trio, Eddy, Roger, Freddy

makes me sad as I owned a 84 Merckx Pro in that (Fiat) Livery


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## phoehn9111 (May 11, 2005)

Scary man, bad man. The stuff from his 69 season unnerves me, silences me.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*won the 69 Ronde*



phoehn9111 said:


> Scary man, bad man. The stuff from his 69 season unnerves me, silences me.


by 5 and a half minutes over Gimondi

kept attacking until thee was no one left


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## vismitananda (Jan 16, 2011)

aclinjury said:


> I heard that if found guilty, they could wipe his name completely from Le Tour annals. Kinda a big deal if you're into worshiping him based on 7 TDFs.


I really don't worship LA coz of his 7 TDF victories, but I rather see him as an inspiration, aside from being a Cancer survivor in w/c most of the victims laid six feet under. I admire his athleticism, transitioning from Triathlon to Cycling only.


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## vismitananda (Jan 16, 2011)

atpjunkie said:


> by 5 and a half minutes over Gimondi
> 
> kept attacking until thee was no one left


Wow! 

He's got a monster inside him.


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## Bill Bikie (Jul 24, 2010)

*King Kelly*



gordy748 said:


> Sagan? Tejay? Rolland? Reckon we'll see at least one if not all three become the next greats...


Sean Kelly was the last of the hard men who could do it all. The best rider never to win the tour.


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## TerminatorX91 (Mar 27, 2011)

Nobody talks sh!t about Eddy's sideburns.


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## quadrat (Aug 26, 2011)

Bill Bikie said:


> Sean Kelly was the last of the hard men who could do it all. The best rider never to win the tour.


Wouldn't that be Olaf Ludwig? East German, couldn't ride the TDF, but won the GC of the Tour the Peace a number of times, and 36 or so stage victories. More than double than the second best. Used to be a great race in its own right behind the iron curtain. He did one TDF in 1990 as an old man, won 3 stages and the green jersey.


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## Bill Bikie (Jul 24, 2010)

quadrat said:


> Wouldn't that be Olaf Ludwig? East German, couldn't ride the TDF, but won the GC of the Tour the Peace a number of times, and 36 or so stage victories. More than double than the second best. Used to be a great race in its own right behind the iron curtain. He did one TDF in 1990 as an old man, won 3 stages and the green jersey.


Kelly won the tour of Tour of Switzerland, and the Tour of Spain, and dozens of classics.
Kelly had over 200 wins I believe. He could sprint, TT, and climb pretty well, but not well enough to win the Tour.


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## tigger (Mar 16, 2007)

Eddy is the creme de la creme,best of the best.The greatest athlete of the twentieth century.


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## vismitananda (Jan 16, 2011)

TerminatorX91 said:


> Nobody talks sh!t about Eddy's sideburns.


His sideburns are the holy grail of all sideburns in the pro peloton.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*Brad Wiggins*



vismitananda said:


> His sideburns are the holy grail of all sideburns in the pro peloton.


success w/sideburns

channeling eddy


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