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Baron Eddy Merckx (born June 17, 1945 in Meensel-Kiezegem, Belgium) is considered by many to be the greatest cyclist of the 20th century. He is the five-time champion of the two most important races in professional cycling, the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, and is one of only four cyclists to have won all three of the major Tours (Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana). He won more than 485 races during his professional career. In 1996, Merckx was awarded the title of Baron in his home country of Belgium. During his racing career, he was sometimes known as the Einstein of the two-wheelers, The Cannibal, or, courtesy of Jacques Goddet , Le Géant.
In his Tour de France debut in 1969, Merckx won the yellow jersey (overall leader), the green jersey (best sprinter) and the red polka-dotted jersey (best climber in the mountain stages), No other cyclist has achieved this trifecta in the Tour de France, and only Laurent Jalabert has been able to match this feat in the grand tours level, in the 1995 Vuelta a Espana. If the young riders' white jersey (for best rider in the Tour that is under 25 years of age) had existed at that time, Merckx would have won that as well, as he had only just turned 24.
Other racers called him the Cannibal because Merckx refused to ride tactically, preferring to go flat out at all times, and wanted to win every single race he participated in. During his peak years as a racer, he is said to have cycled over 35,000 km a year. While climbing the steep, severe Mont Ventoux in 1970 to a stage win, he rode so strongly and pushed himself so hard that after he finished, oxygen was administered.
In 1975, he attempted to win his sixth Tour de France, but became a victim of violence in sports. Many Frenchmen were upset that a Belgian might beat the record of five wins set by Frenchman Jacques Anquetil. Merckx held the yellow jersey for 8 days of the race, which raised his record to 95 total days, but during stage fourteen a spectator leapt from the crowd and punched him in the kidneys. He kept racing with a double fracture and took medications. The pain in combination with the medicine caused him to fall during the race. He eventually ran out of energy and lost his lead but on the last stage he showed one last sign of defiance by sprinting ahead of the peloton. He would never win the Tour de France again.
Despite his impressive victories, Merckx was not immune to injuries. In 1969For other uses, see Number 1969. For the movie, see 1969 (movie). Events January January 1 Australian media baron Rupert Murdoch purchases the largest selling British Sunday newspaper The News Of The World January 5 The Derry Riots leave over 100 people i he crashed in a derny raceA derny race is a track cycling event where cyclists are allowed to draft behind pacers who ride derny motored bikes. Due to the nature of the race, derny races are run at higher speeds than most other track cycling events. towards the end of the season. A pacer and a cyclist fell in front of Merckx's pacer, and caused both he and Merckx to crash. Merckx's pacer was killed instantly, and Merckx suffered a bad concussion and fell unconscious. This accident cracked a vertebrae and twisted his pelvis. He admitted in interviews that he was never able to ride the same way he used to due to the injuries.
In addition to his other achievements, Merckx set the one hourIn the track time trial a track cycling event, riders compete individually against the clock to record the fastest time over the specified distance from a standing start. At championships and Olympics events, the distance is usually 1000 metres, hence the track speed record in Mexico CityMexico City ( Spanish: Ciudad de Mexico known in Pre-Columbian times as Tenochtitlan is the capital of Mexico; it geographically spans both the Mexican Federal District and part of the state of Mexico, to the north of the Federal District. Mexico City is in 19721972 is a leap year starting on Saturday (click link for calendar). Events January events January 2 the Pierre Hotel Heist Six men rob the safety deposit boxes of the Pierre Hotel in New York City. Loot is at least $4 million January 5 President of the Un; is one of the few cyclists to win Paris-RoubaixParis-Roubaix Local name:Paris-Roubaix Region:Northern France Date:Early April Type:One-day race History First Edition:1909 Number of Editions:102 First Winner: Joseph Fischer, ( Germany) Most Wins: Roger De Vlaeminck ( Belgium), 4 times Begun in 1896, Pa, the Hell of the North, three times; and won 17 six-day races. He retired from racing in 1978Events January January 1 The Copyright Act of 1976 takes effect, making sweeping changes to United States copyright law. January 1 Air India's Boeing 747 explodes near Bombay 213 dead. January 4 Referendum in Chile supports policies of Augusto Pinochet..
Merckx's son Axel is currently a bicycle racer himself. He rode in the 2002, 2003 and 2004 Tour de France and won the 2000 Belgian national championships.
Having retired from competitive cycling, Eddy Merckx is now a bicycle manufacturer [1] and race commentator. When asked for his advice to younger riders who wanted to become professionals, he is reputed to have simply said, "Ride lots."