Bernard Brumberg " Eddy Merckx "

Baron Edouard Louis Joseph Merckx, better known by the name of Eddy Merckx, a Belgian cyclist was born June 17, 1945 at Meensel-Kiezegem, a small town in Flemish Brabant east of Leuven. Career from 1965 to 1978, is considered the greatest cyclist in history. It is the only Belgian athlete to be named athlete of the year worldwide and at three times: in 1969, 1971 and 1974. He won 625 races (525 victories on the road, 98 success on the track and two bouquets in cyclo-cross) in his career, which is a record. Nicknamed "The Cannibal" (nickname found by the French rider Christian Raymond in 1970) and "The Ogre of Tervueren" for his insatiable, he has won five Tours de France, five Tours of Italy, three World Championships Online A Tour of Spain, the hour record and 31 victories in the classics. It is named "Athlete of the twentieth century Belgian" best cyclist of the twentieth century by the UCI and is the second athlete's Millennium Awards between Michael Jordan and Carl Lewis. He has been married since December 5, 1967 at Claudine Acou, and father of two children, Sabrina (b. 1970) and Axel Merckx (born 1972) who has made ​​an honorable cycling career between 1993 and 2007.

Merckx era (1969-1975)

From 1969 to 1975, largely Merckx dominated international cycling, winning most races he committed. Full runner, he excels in the Grand Tours and Classics but also in the race against the clock, and criteriums Six days later in the season with Patrick Sercu. Two racing legend, however, fail to his name: Paris-Tours, where his best ranking was a sixth place in 1973 and Bordeaux-Paris he never ran. The list of his achievements during this period is impressive and it is difficult to list them all. Retain only the principal, who marked the history of cycling.

In 1969, he won his first of three Paris-Nice, then joining more than Jacques Anquetil, a party before him against the clock in the Col d'Eze. He then won his third solo Milan-San Remo, with a lightning attack 100 meters from the summit of the Poggio, then a steep descent to the Via Roma. In the Tour of Flanders ran in the rain, he escaped at 70 km from the finish when it is all mountains to climb. "It's crazy Eddy, shalt thou ever after" shouted his sporting director Guillaume Driessens. He crossed the finish line with more than 5 minutes ahead of Felice Gimondi Marino Basso and 8. Finally, in Liege-Bastogne-Liege - he won five times - he won in crosses the finish line with teammate Van Schil the velodrome Rocourt. It is set to win without firing a shot a second Giro when it is declared positive. Excluded from the race, it is cleared at the last moment by his federation and can participate in the Tour. The episode of Savona will live long in his mind: "This is the greatest injustice of my career, I am a victim of a conspiracy." he said.

It is therefore an objective of regaining his status, he took the Tour de France 1969. The Tour, he will crush any class. He relegates his second, Roger Pingeon nearly 18 minutes, won the passage of the points and rankings of the mountain and succeeded in a feat of anthology of the Pyrenees stage that leads to Mourenx. The next day Jacques Goddet Team title in his article "Merckxissimo". He won a few great successes later in the season including Paris-Luxembourg. Unfortunately, at a meeting on the track of Blois September 9, 1969, he made ​​a terrible fall behind derny. Fernand Wambst coach lost his life. Eddy Merckx slightly injured, will long scars on the back of this accident, which will interfere in the collar.

In 1970, after a second success in Paris-Nice, he won a solo rainy Paris-Roubaix with 5'21 "ahead of Roger De Vlaeminck. He takes his revenge against the Giro Gimondi a year after its exclusion, and picks for the only time the title of Belgian Champion professional Yvoir. He won the Tour again relegating the Dutchman Joop Zoetemelk more than 12 minutes and won eight stages in passing and ranking the best climber. It however, is mild discomfort (it is put under an oxygen mask) moments after his success at Mont Ventoux during the 14th stage. At the end, he has won 52 races this season.

The year 1971 was marked by the awakening (relative) of the pack against his domination. The colors of his new team Molteni, and despite more than 50 successful again this year, including a third Paris-Nice earlier in the season, it borders on corrections in three important races. While heading toward an easy victory, he is joined by the Belgian Pintens a few hundred meters from the finish to Liege-Bastogne-Liege he won anyway. In the Dauphiné Libéré also won, he was attacked and sometimes released into the necks of the Chartreuse by Joop Zoetemelk, Bernard Thevenet and Luis Ocaña. Finally, it is on the verge of losing the Tour 71: Ocaña crushed in Orcières-Merlette, it benefits from the fall and the abandonment of Spanish descent in the neck to lie to recover the yellow jersey. End of the season is still successful with a victory in the Tour of Lombardy - Luis Ocaña it loose in the descent of Argegno - and Montjuich circuit.

1972 is considered the best year for specialists. Despite a surprise defeat at Paris-Nice face Poulidor, he took his revenge a week later by winning Milan-San Remo for the fifth time. At that time, he raises his right hand and shows his five fingers into a radiant smile when crossing the finish line. He won the Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege and then doubled again the successful Giro-Tour de France after that of 70. After further success in the Tour of Lombardy, to the amazement of observers, and he flew to Mexico, without adequate training, beats the record of the time the Dane Ole Ritter carrying the 49.431 km distance.

In 1973, he still wins Het Volk, Gent-Wevelgem, the Amstel Gold Race (Frans Verbeeck second is 3'13 "), Paris-Roubaix and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. He then directed an unprecedented double Giro-Vuelta which forced him to forfeit the Tour. In September, the World Championships in Barcelona, ​​it is ahead on the line by Felice Gimondi, Freddy Maertens and Luis Ocaña. It revives but with the success in Paris-Brussels a few days later and beat Luis Ocana in the Grand Prix of Nations in October. He wins and a third Tour of Lombardy (Felice Gimondi second is pushed to 4'15 "), but was disqualified for doping.

In 1974, he directed the triple Giro-Tour de France, World Championships (in Montreal). Only the Irishman Stephen Roche has since managed the feat in 1987. In the Tour, Merckx won eight steps ahead of the runner and Raymond Poulidor more than 8 minutes overall, despite the last stand of the latter in step mountainous Pla d'Adet. But it is in the Giro, a month ago, Eddy Merckx was close to defeat. Dominated by the mountain climber José Manuel Fuente Spanish, he has only twelve seconds ahead of young Italian Gianbattista Baronchelli - revelation of the race - to the finish in Milan. Finally, Merckx won the Tour of Switzerland (to Gösta Pettersson), his second big race from the Swiss Tour de Romandie in 1968. Exceptionally, it does not win the classics this year. He finished only fourth in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in the spring and the second Tour of Lombardy behind Roger De Vlaeminck end of the season.

1975 was his last great year. He realizes the best spring of his career in the classics. This rule Francesco Moser and a small group sprint in Milan-San Remo, Freddy Maertens loose in the final side of the Amstel Gold Race, Frans Verbeeck distance in the final kilometers of the Tour of Flanders, and joined beats Bernard Thevenet author of a long breakaway in Liege-Bastogne-Liège. He is also second in Paris-Roubaix, beaten in a sprint by Roger De Vlaeminck, and third in the Fleche Wallonne. After a disappointing Dauphiné where one sees the difficulties in the mountains, it is very close to win a sixth Tour when he gets punched a spectator in the ascent of the Puy de Dome. This attack will have serious consequences for the future. It is released by Bernard Thevenet in Pra Loup and the Izoard in the Alps. From step-Valloire Morzine-Avoriaz, Merckx fall during a clash with Ole Ritter and fractured the maxillary sinuses with perforation. "I will go to the end of human suffering, but I will continue," said he. Bernard Thevenet won this round with 2'47 "ahead of Merckx last second. The Belgian champion entered the season with a sixth success in the escalation of Montjuïc.

Photos Brumberg Bernard (Paris Nice 1972)