I’ve been a cyclist since I was 13 yrs old. I’ve watched Merckx since 1966 and seen his development to complete and utter dominance that no one would have argued against, least of all the other top professionals of the time . Watching professional cycling right through to the present , and like millions of others who saw Merckx and his achievements , I’ve no doubt that all would say there is no professional cyclist who has ever come close to be able to compare with Eddy Merckx. That may alienate many cyclists but you had to be around at that time and witness the race results season on season to have it sink into your mind what you were witnessing. Radio and TV presenters, news papers and reporters had run out of superlatives in an attempt to describe him. Incredible man and a great example of dignity to all. Remember that in being older and experiencing his victories as they happened we have a perspective to compare all other riders after him, something younger people cannot do.
After everything I have seen since 54 years, there is still no man who surpasses the exploits of this man on a bicycle. It seems trite to even begin to bicker about asides. Plainly, without equal. Total hero!!
This man was/is absolutely FANTASTIC!! He is still an inspiration for everyone!! I was a cyclist, I didn't see him racing, but I admire him as professional and as a person! A simple, educated, brave and humble personality. An example! THE PERFECT CHAMPION!! GREATEST, GREATEST EDDY MERCX!! The close friend of our Joaquim Agostinho...It was a pity I could't see him, recently, when he was in Évora...The video is amazing! Congratulations!
A truly amazing athlete! I still have bikes like his and currently race with them! As a cyclist with 27 years of experience there is no comparison to the joy these classic bikes give and the Athletes that rode them. This video is truly an inspiration to watch!
The thing that frightened his opponents was his attacks ,feared because a Merckx attack was an attack to win, always the decisive moment in the race if it didn't work he would attack again and again until it did work. Was it 74? Milan San Remo, he attacked 5 times on the poggio climb rode over the top alone and finished alone. If merckx were around now in this generation he would be just as dominant now as he was then, a winners mentality with all round ability sprinter,climber, time trialist.
Le meilleur coureur de tous les temps. 625 victoires (route, piste et cyclo-cross). Il gagnait les grandes courses les unes après les autres, quel que soit le terrain. Il cumule les records de victoires.
Edide in his first TDF won by 20 mins winning ALL the jerseys. Had it not been for chronic back problems post the Blois crash in late '69 Eddie could easily have won many more than his 5 TDF wins. He stands head and shoulders above any other rider any era. 445 top class race victories no other rider comes close to that.
@stevebul You would be surprised at the weight of those old bikes, many of them weighed in at around 18 lbs, the tire pressure was exactly the same as it is now, they were riding on tubular tires that weighed little and would withstand 120 psi easily, the rim diameter was 700c as it is today.
Fact: In march 2012, they made an announcement in a British biography (Eddy Merckx, The Cannibal) that he competed with a serious heart defect, which could have killed him at any moment.
El ciclista mas completo de todos los tiempo el caníbal el ciclista que tiene más victoria de por vida y más carrera a ganado en la historia.,Eddy Merck ciclista que solo se ve una vez en la historia.,el mejor de todos los tiempo for ever.!!!
El mejor corredor de todos los tiempos, por títulos ( 5 tour, 3 ó 4 giros y 1 campeonato mundial, si no recuerdo mal), y en una época en la que el dopaje brillaba por su ausencia. Y como subía los puertos el tío!, sin tanto rollo de la cadencia como hoy en día. Leí en un artículo que los desarrollos mas usados por el caníbal eran 53/44 T de platos, y 13-22, o algo parecido de piña. No creo que los pro de hoy día tuvieran bemoles para subir puertos como tre cime di lavaredo, lagos de Covadonga, etc con esas paelleras. Este si que fue un "number one", y no el de texas. Grande Caníbal!!!!
+raul sanchez sanchez fueron 5 tours 5 giros una vuelta dos campeonatos del mundo, la triple corona en el 73 creo, todos los monumentos etc. etc. y si tengo un libro de Bernard Hinault que dice que usaba 53/44 y que tenia un movimiento de pedaleo que nadie mas ah hecho Grande ese Eddy ¡¡¡
+ADrian Cabrera Si efectivamente fueron 5 tours, 5 giros, 1 vuelta y 3 campeonatos. Merckx era una bestia parda con una fuerza brutal. Ya me gustaría a mi ver a los profesionales de hoy día desenvolverse en montaña con un 44-22 como el belga. Mas de uno se bajaba de la bici. El mas grande, si señor!
Nice! 0:50 is from the 1978 Paris-Roubaix, the footage from the film "A Sunday in Hell." Merckx was in the field, which was over a minute down on a successful breakaway near the end of the race, when he pulled this move, probably just for the fun of it. The break consisted of DeMeyer, DeVlaemink, Kuiper, and another fellow. DeMeyer took the sprint in the velodrome. DeVlaeminck had engineered the break and done most of the pulling, then had gone to lead out the sprint! What was he thinking?
nothing is more rigid than carbon - there is no give and you feel every nuance of the road. As long as the bending occurs within it's significant elastic limit steel will keep taking the punishment.
rofl death2pc, what a troll, this guy is a god and a legend, all the others were fighting for 2nd place when he was owning all of them... there's no high tech stuff, just pure power, rofl, he's a beast that would rape today's cyclists... i mean come on, look at the pure power at 0:51 omg and technology improves so today's cyclists are fortunate too have more update technology/bikes.
@stormisback You and a few others are obviously incapable of understanding SARCASM. How sad. On a serious note it's nice to know you know of all the more admire Merckx. Few today do. Did you ever see Merckx compete? Or my other favorite, Jacques Anquetil, Gimondi, Van Impe, Maertens, Saronni, Raas amongst various old, outdated has beens on their heavy, flexible friction shifter non uber carbon traditional geometry rust bucket steel bikes? I can assure you, they were something to witness.
Comme on le voit sur les vidéos , lui et ses concurrents iraient beaucoup plus vite maintenant avec un vélo rigide en carbone, des pédales automatiques efficaces, et l'application des techniques de pédalage mises au point depuis (vitesse de rotation, pédaler "rond", etc) , aussi les comparaisons basées sur les performances pures avec le cyclisme actuel sont impossibles.
At the 1:22 appears a fat guy than it looks like is asking for a hug. I like Merckx but i recognize that was by now that cycling start to go wrong, you know what im talking about!!!
Purtroppo sono rimasto scottato. Ho acquistato una mini clubman Cooper S esteticamente perfetta, in realtà piena zeppa di problemi. Hanno tentato di affrontarli ma senza riuscirci. Si sono rifiutati di ritirarla e ho dovuto venderla perdendo parecchi soldi. Addirittura l'auto mi è stata venduta come uniproprietario in realtà ero il terzo. Personalmente li sconsiglio assolutamente. Sarebbe bastato poco per evitare questo giudizio. Auguri per la sua scelta.
Luca Belli Buonasera ho scoperto x puro caso controllando il libretto delle manutenzioni che l'auto era appartenuta ad una seconda persona non dichiarata sul libretto. Confermato il tutto dall'ufficio Aci di meda. Sui problemi non voglio neanche parlarne, i due "signori" ripetevano sereni: ci porti subito l'auto che provvediamo ma i problemi non sono mai passati. In circa un soffertissimo anno ho percorso meno di 4000 km il resto del tempo l' auto era da loro. Ora ho una bellissima xc 70 Volvo acquistata nuova. Auguri per la sua scelta. Personalmente sconsiglio assolutamente quelle persone
@stevebul Not amazing in the least. The design (most certainly the riding position and setback) "back then" was superior in many ways, the absence of (now) too many gears not a hindrance, the bikes were more than adequately stiff, not ridiculously stiff and unstable as is the case today - so too wheels, ridiculous spinning had not spread its cancer within riding and these guys rode it all, not a bunch of too often today specialists rigged up with telecommunications, etc., ad nauseum.
Maybe the best in one-day races on flat terrain. But he never met great climbers. His stronger opponent was Gimondi that wasn't a climber. If he had met the great climbers of the fifties (Coppi, Bartali, Gaul, Koblet, Kubler, Bahamontes etc.) he would have won much less in stage races and suffered numerous very hard punishments on the mountains.
Have you ever seen the many films that portray as Coppi, Bartali, Gaul, Bahamontes climbed the mountains and have you never compared Merckx with them? You would immediately realize of what great difference there is between them and Merckx and as the belgian cyclist would have been severely humiliated if he had competed with them uphill. In truth it would be enough to resize Merckx a climber less strong than them as Ocana who would have been removed three tours to Merckx at least, but the spanish was very very unlucky because he had to retreat several times to very serious and unexpected falls.
angelo balzano your argument is null and void. Ridiculous bullshit. If the Confederate States of America had the Atom Bomb, they'd have son the war. You sir, are a dumb ass
