Eddy Merckx
Ask any cyclist or cycling fan in the world that who was and remains the best cyclist in the world and the answer will undoubtedly be Eddy Merckx and if not then the person must be biased. Ask a pro cyclist or an immature enthusiastic amateur cyclist - How would you like to live your life? and his answer would be, like that of Eddy Merckx. What Eddy Merckx has done is beyond human tendency and hence he got the nick name 'the cannibal'. He has raised the bar so high, reaching it is like almost impossible. Hence he is one of the most respected person in the cycling world.
He excelled in all the fields of cycling - time trial, climbing, breaking hour record and even in track racing.
| Grand tour achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Grand tour | Number of wins | Year |
| Tour de France | 5 | 1969, 70, 71, 72, 74. |
| Giro de Italia | 5 | 1968, 70, 72, 73, 74. |
| Vuelta Espana | 1 | 1973 |
| Single-day race achievements. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Number of wins | Year |
| World Championship | 3 | 1967, 71, 74. |
| Paris-Roubaix | 3 | 1968, 70, 73. |
| Milan-San Remo | 7 | 1966, 67, 69, 71, 72, 75, 76. |
| Liège–Bastogne–Liège | 5 | 1969, 71, 72, 73, 75. |
| Super Prestige Pernod International | 7 | 1969, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75. |
| Giro di Lombardia | 2 | 1971, 72 |
| Ronde van Vlaanderen | 2 | 1969, 75 |
| Belgian National Road Race Championship | 1 | 1970 |
| Stage races achievements. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Number of wins | Year |
| Paris–Nice | 3 | 1969, 70, 71. |
| Tour de Suisse | 1 | 1974 |
| Records | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Held the UCI hour record (49.431 km) from 25 October 1972 – 27 October 2000 |
| 2 | Most career victories by a professional cyclist: 525. |
| 3 | Most victories in one season: 54. |
| 4 | Most stage victories in the Tour de France: 34 |
| 5 | Most stage victories in one Tour de France: 8, in 1970 and 1974 (shared with Charles Pélissier in 1930 and Freddy Maertens in 1976) |
| 6 | Most days with the yellow jersey in the Tour de France: 96. |
| 7 | The only cyclist to have won the general classification, points classification and mountains classification in the same Tour de France (1969). |
| 8 | Most victories in classics: 28. |
| 9 | Most victories in one single classic: 7 (in Milan – San Remo). |
| 10 | Most victories in Grand Tours: 11 |
Documentaries on Eddy Merckx or Featuring Eddy Merckx :
1. Tour de France Legends - Eddy Merckx
Link : Tour de France legend -Eddy Merckx
2. Eddy Merckx - La Course en Tete
Link : Link for Eddy Merckx - La Course en Tete
3. Eddy Merckx - The Greatest Show on Earth (1974 Giro)