Eddy Merckx. The Greatest Show on Earth (1975)

This documentary depicts the dramatic duel between Eddy Merckx and Felice Gimondi, in the 1974 Giro d'Italia. Merckx won by 12 seconds. José Manuel Fuente features prominently again and anyone who likes watching a gifted climber will love this. This film is one of the best ever made about Eddy Merckx because of the sheer excitement it conveys through the brilliant camerawork, the breathtaking action, the stunning beauty of Italy and the soundtrack. A must see for all vintage cycling fans!
I do not claim ownership to any of these contents nor receive monetary gains. All rights belong to their respective owners.

[@gustavoguidor156]

The shoot of Fuente's high speed descend is terrific! The furious pedaling alternating with the free wheel's noise. The haunting fog, and the tifosi yelling the rider's name. The sense of danger.

[@geemoya4500]

I need to see one with full sound

[@DolleHengst]

When bikes and men were made of steel

[@jerryavalos9610]

Men of steel is right, smallest chainring was 42t, 6 cogs I believe, since this is 1974, it was a year before Super Record and they were most likely using Campy Nuevo Record. Biggest cog for the mountains was 26t. No way I could ride a 42t chain ring in the mountains.

[@death2pc]

@@jerryavalos9610 24

[@michaelknight1671]

Not any more.

[@GragarTheGreat]

and drug taking was fair game

[@atnosmalldistance7294]

What a great film! Takes me back to grainy VHS classics such as 'Stars & Watercarriers' & 'La Course En Tete'. Cheers for uploading.

[@robertmuiruri550]

The gradient is 1to 6. The temperature is -2degree centigrade. What a sport

[@SpittingMage]

indeed, huh?

[@dylanwhitney9228]

This is the 1974 Giro because Eddy won it, and he didn't do so in 1975 (but he did in 1974)!

[@blancobasnett]

1975 is the year of the film's release.

[@redcardinalist]

looking back on this now, it seems a different world, but I was 9 in 1975...

[@jthepickle7]

I was 21 and a bicyclist and yes, it was a different world.

[@chrisdavies3223]

When you look around & everyone has that 100yrd stare!! @53mins

[@robsteries]

Love the Moody Blues , in the beginning!

[@TK-tl6ci]

The winners time back then was 113:08:13. Wow! Almost double the time of modern cycling. Although there were 1-2 more stages, it’s crazy how much modern cycling/sport/medicine/training/etc. has evolved

[@jankulozic401]

And do not forget the bikes were almost double the weight .

[@death2pc]

Hardly "........double the time.....". You conveniently choose not to acknowledge the course distances "back then" were approximately 25% LONGER overall. HOLA! Compute that and you'll find the average decrease today in overall time is a scant 8 hours. Wow! This on bikes "back then" with 5 cog rear, with a largest 22 cog combined with a minimum 42 inner ring for maximum climbing on rigs that weighed 42% MORE to that of today. And "back then", there was only ONE BIKE for the entire event. All events, be same the Classics or Tours. HOLA! Not the four or so specialized &^%$#@! $$$$$$$$$$ plastic fantastic rigs used today. RIDICULOUS!!! The sport has NOT improved. It has become limp-wristed with fairies posing as riders. Numerous FASTER start to finish times in a good number of UCI events from the 60's, 70's, 80's STILL stand. HOLA!

[@baribari600]

@@jankulozic401 that is not even close to true

[@COLNELBatGuano]

In reality only about 15 % slower than modern cycling. There are other factors as well. Modern races are much shorter. The 1974 Grio was 4001 kilometres. The 2021 3410 and finished in 86 h 17 min. Almost 600 km shorter. Technology plays a big part of that gain as well. Road bikes around that time were about 9.5 kgs 21 lbs versus 6.8 kgs 15 lbs. Try carrying a 6 lb bag of sugar with you on your next ride. And 6 speed rear cassette with down tube shifting without indexing. Also field size, 140 riders are less controlled than 184.

[@FearTheIndoorHorseRancher]

💉💉💉💉💉💉

[@rsangala]

wow great vid

[@therealleonardlewis5438]

Love it!

[@rigolonzinbrin]

Gimondi cycling's most unlikely world champion. Beating Merckx and especially Freddy Maertens in the sprint was impossible. It took a total misunderstanding between the two Belgians for Gimondi to take advantage of it. I'm sure he was the first surprised. In the end, good for him. He has never been so close to Merckx in this Giro 74 than in all the other "Tours" , France included. The fact remains that in 69', an evildoer stole Eddy Merckx's Giro. He will take revenge at the Tour de France by crushing everyone. Eddy has won 525 professional races. We will never see that again.

[@Anathorn2008]

Is there a way to see this with the full sound?

[@660einzylinder]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/b5S0hKSlfNSjgsk

[@humstrumbangtwang]

Sound drops out. Shame.

[@Carlos-bp1vp]

37:15 best scene of the whole movie

[@curtvaughan2836]

I think it's around 1:14, showing the riders after the last brutal mountain stage.

[@yyzsupra8338]

The piped in Crickets are a bit much...lol

[@gwyllem]

Sound cuts out on this doc of the Greatest cyclist.

[@clayvianwilliams8624]

This is 1974 giro not 1975

[@simonalexandercritchley439]

Why does the sound keep dropping out ?

[@WeallAreAdults]

copyrights

[@johnmoreels610]

The music gives me a headache.

[@mattiasantangelo9421]

Can Fuente keep his overall lead?

[@tomfrantz]

The fans were AWFUL then. The riders are Geico commercial cavemen #nospinning This is precious footage

[@lucabenzi7742]

1974, non 1975, sul Poggio (Carpegna-Pesaro e Urbino), c'ero.

[@rsangala]

i would love to see the 20022 guys ride the 1953 bikes , How good would they be?

[@anama7135]

Minuto 58:30 arenga de los tifosi a fuente ,los tifosi se volvían locos con fuente

[@heyppanda]

20:55 Raiding the store

[@seamars86]

hahahahaha! Different times

[@Kevenruf]

22:05 opening bottle on stem.

[@jthepickle7]

Men more demanding of themselves, women less demanding of men. I was there. I know.

[@dougedwards9772]

Ah ya these were some tough bastards. Merckx time trailing 25 miles at 30 mph ave on a steel bike🙏🏻🦵🏻🦵🏻

[@juanvelasquez3340]

27:47 el gran Martin Emilio Cochise Rodriguez

[@jean-francoisvaillant5716]

Gimondi avec le maillot arc en ciel 🌈, nous sommes au Giro 1974 et non 1975 .

[@willsprint4beer818]

29:00 Moody Blues

[@sarafiansalleh6200]

The 10 Greatest Road Cyclists of All Time 1. Eddy Merckx. 10 of 12. 2. Bernard Hinault. 9 of 12. The Badger. ... 3. Fausto Coppi. 8 of 12. ... 4. Jacque Anquetil. 7 of 12. ... 5. Miguel Indurain. 6 of 12. ... 6. Alfredo Binda. 5 of 12. ... 7. Lance Armstrong. 4 of 12. ... 8. Gino Bartali. 3 of 12. ...

[@michaelvitiello9960]

It bums me out that the giro isn't as prestigious as a race as the tdf.

[@albertovilletalopez5718]

22:22 abriendo la chapa de una botella con los dientes.

[@GragarTheGreat]

back when anything went narcotics wise

[@Worldopain]

I love cycling but I wouldn't say people riding bicycles is a great show let alone the greatest show on Earth. lol

[@shamevonn1164]

I think they mean the whole circus of the tour.

[@aliancemd]

No helmets. Any fall to the ground and these guys have a concussion

[@jamesmeisel4723]

At least...

[@setco6536]

Helmets actually don't do much to stop concussions, they mostly prevent contusions

[@aliancemd]

​ @set co You are reading the statistics wrongly. Doesn't do much against car accidents but they are very effective against other kind of falls.

[@setco6536]

@@aliancemd Wearing a helmet is a must to help reduce the risk of a serious brain injury or skull fracture. However, helmets are not designed to prevent concussions. There is no “concussion-proof” helmet. From the CDC

[@xLUNAPODx]

the music is unbearable

[@redcardinalist]

really? hmm each to their own.

[@bunglebear2084]

What's up with the sound?

[@aliancemd]

Seems like Fuente was significantly better but made 1 mistake of not fueling before a big mountain climb...

[@hoboroller5642]

Back when men were men 😉

[@death2pc]

And women WERE women..................

[@user-bz9ld2go3g]

Love to see Eddy on a bike with today’s technology

[@death2pc]

And what would change.............???? Answer : NOTHING

[@taichihead42]

Todays technology. What shit bikes made in sweat shops in china by morons who haven't a clue.

[@dyzoly]

Cut that cutting out out!

[@tinmachine693]

Wait, I was told Lance Armstrong invented cycling?

[@laopang91362]

Exciting but please, stay out of the way.

[@chrisdavies3223]

What's with the redacted non-smoker @16mins

[@MrTonyPerkiss]

music is terrible - ruins it

[@coolhand1966]

then don't watch

[@redcardinalist]

nonsense. the music is fine and also it's part of the video so the uploader can't remove it. Stop whining. "ruin it" my arse....

[@nielskjr5432]

Makes me sick to watch. All my heroes from the 70's kneeling and kissing the hand of the Pope. I want to vomit. But back then professional cycling was concentrated in Southern Europe.

[@jezztech]

Better than footballers the bloody knee , thats the most insulting gesture imaginable, ( apologizing for people who havent done anything wrong) I aint ever owned a slave or insulting a black person.

[@redcardinalist]

please take your bigotry elsewhere

[@titounoundici7920]

Niels kjær, a sickening comment, your own. Those riders paying hommage to the Pope were catholics: Merckx, Fuente, Gimondi. So, what is wrong in what they did? If you were in their shoes, no one would scold you if you'd made up your mind not to kneel down in front of the Pope or whomsoever. I guess you might have been a good athlet, but you do definitely look missing "nobless".

[@nielskjr5432]

@@titounoundici7920 sorry, I didn't mean to offend anyone. Actually I went to a catholic boys only school when I was little. I'm telling you, there was a very strict discipline. Although I'm a protestant we often went to masses in the nearby catholic church. Some of the teachers were munks and nuns. It was certainly very different from today's school. I'm 66 now, but every day I use the skills I learned back then.

[@mattiasantangelo9421]

Can Fuente keep his overall lead?