What Made Eddy Merckx The Greatest Ever? | Marking 50 Years Since First Tour de France Win | inCycle

As the Tour de France marks fifty years since The Cannibal's first Tour Victory, inCycle looks at what made Eddy Merckx the greatest cyclist of all time. With the help of biographer Johny Vansevenant and the man himself, we look back at some of his best wins, learn what made him such a formidable rider and see how he dealt with life after cycling.
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[@gyp3xp48]

I came into cycling when Eddy Merckx was at the top. For me, he is an enigma, somebody quite different from the rest in his field. An icon for Belgium. It will be a sad day when he leaves us.

[@kailexx1962]

Merckx won 500+ races! In this age of specialization I don't think anyone will ever surpass him.

[@clu4u]

LE CANNIBAL!

[@jimbarron8688]

You do appreciate he was a doper right?

[@MaFd0n]

@@jimbarron8688 Provide proof or shut up and crawl back in your hole, thanks.

[@coreymihailiuk5189]

There will never be another like him. Truly the greatest of all time.

[@Jesse-bb4qj]

Peter.......

[@decnijfkris3706]

only 1 Eddy Merckx that is right....

[@decnijfkris3706]

@@relaxwithbogo5579 Now Boglan you can't say that about my hero! Shame on you!

[@MONYN76ISLAS]

@@decnijfkris3706 another Cycling Mortal 🚴

[@decnijfkris3706]

What do you think aof waltons family getting involved in big money cycling? I guess they will shortly have a pro team. Have you seen The Fayetteville track and compared it to what it was last year. Impressive.

[@Sills71]

I read an article once that profiled Eddy's week before one of his TdF wins in 1969, he raced 4 races and rode over 600 MILES total that week.

[@osimnod]

Total domination of the sport. And a class act despite the adulation. Legend.

[@WildPhotoShooter]

A quiet gentle man off the bike but when on a bike the most fierce competitor. Eddy's achievement of 525 victories will never be surpassed. A true superstar .

[@charlesfosterkane8034]

He used his whole body to move the bicycle, flat back to generate power, high gear inches kept his heart rate down.

[@rykadabyka6047]

Superb position on the bike.

[@EM-wd2vg]

Wonderful short, only just seen this. Truly a great sportsman, they often say you should never meet your hero's but in Merckx's case I would make an exception...

[@MilesCobbett]

I heard his early race bikes were built by Ferdi Kessels. My race bike in1977-78 was a Kessels Main D'or frame #32. No bike since has been close to the perfection of that Awesome machine.

[@NowPleaseReadThis]

His talent plus his drive transcended cycling into the total world of sport. My vote for athlete of the 20th century, and into the 21st.

[@ageary]

Simply Eddy is the G.O.A.T

[@nightlife6899]

An understated genius. No ego. No big time nonsense. Just the best.

[@michaelfoulkes9502]

Best doper of all time.

[@nikodemdyzma9330]

Absolute best of the best cyclist ever.

[@brucegelman5582]

To me he is the most dominant force cycling has ever known.Long live Eddy!

[@jakobkristensen9445]

The Greatest Cyclist of all time, the Greatest Grand Tour rider of all time and one of the Greatest Tour de France riders of all time.

[@panzer-head]

And set a World Hour Record to boot.

[@NowPleaseReadThis]

Just watching about Merckx makes me want to go out and pedal/pretend I'm him. It makes me go faster for sure.

[@PeakPotential46]

Yea so much motivation 💞💪

[@canitogalicia]

Long live cycling and Eduardo Merckx,,,

[@petinka721]

No doubt that he is bigger than his own sport.

[@edmondthomas282]

Forget the arguments about whether amphetamine use equates to the blood doping of the Armstrong era. Merckx’s achievements are so great and he dominated races so heavily that there can be no doubt that he is the greatest cyclist of all.

[@PaulCarterArt]

Inspiring human on many levels thanks for sharing this time capsule of the journey

[@paulsolon6229]

He doped

[@jimihendrix731]

Such a class act, the greatest sportsman of all time.

[@michaelfoulkes9502]

Best doper in history.

[@L___LL]

@@michaelfoulkes9502 Stop talking about your absent father

[@jthepickle7]

The question was answered within the first minute, ..."it simply comes from the love of cycling." Who out there has an almost inappropriate love for cycling?

[@tomsmith5216]

I'm pretty close, lol. Riding for me is almost addictive. When I start I don't want to stop!

[@coppersetup2386]

The greatest without question!

[@dirkbaeke2935]

The greatest deceiver ye!

[@peterhaslund]

I once rode with an old geezer from Brussel who used to train with Merckx, I hung onto every last word he told me

[@humstrumbangtwang]

Inspirational.

[@artistglyn]

There will never be another. Not even close. The variety of races, the classics, the grand tours, the dozens of one day events.....no, he will forever be the one.

[@LS1conehead]

Most of today's road superstars would not even DARE to try for the Hour Record, let alone ride in six days on the indoor salad bowls of western Europe!😉

[@sealcycle2020]

How is this even a question???????????YES!!!!!! THE . . . GREATEST . . . . EVER!!!!!!! . . if you won it was because Merckx decided to let you win. Just incredible . . . untouchable

[@michaelfoulkes9502]

Best doper of all time.

[@shellsbignumber2]

He got a cool name to.

[@pascalaernoudt8870]

Eddy Merckx is supporting Remco Evenepoel, Eddy the cannibal, Remco the rocket

[@johnandrews3568]

Greatest of ALL time!

[@quarkyman1]

Eddy told me off at the Ghent 6 day, I didn’t realise my flash was on, it was 1977 he won again with Patrick Sercu.

[@zennor_man]

Simply the best......

[@maartenvangansbeke7099]

Jeugdherinneringen...vele mooie uren Radio/Jan Wauters & T.V/ Fred Debruyne... plezier...

[@acewilliams7917]

And he didn't look all skinny like he was on a ice diet.

[@raymundnieves5589]

The best!

[@123reivax123]

The best of all times... There is no doubt.

[@danielraynaud2013]

Le plus grand coureur cycliste de tous les temps......Sans commentaire !...

[@paulf447]

A truly fantastic cyclist

[@user-bz9ld2go3g]

Imagine if Merckx had the technology that cycling has today

[@LS1conehead]

Probably would have gone 56 KM+ in the hour record on an indoor track! ;)

[@leduch]

@@LS1conehead 56.792

[@bluetickfreddy101]

Great story Thanks

[@markhill9275]

Greatest athlete, sportsman ever, not just racing cyclist.

[@christianalmanza3514]

This make me want to cycle

[@trackie1957]

So...

[@ig2d]

one of the great sporting nicknames

[@ltlarrow1]

the year that someone wins the Tour de Suisse, the Giro, the Tour (and 8 stages in the process) and the world road race, all in the same year, then...well, it ain't ever gonna happen

[@linesided]

Merckx was the greatest of his era. To say he was/is/will be the greatest of all times is absurd. Cycling has evolved so much since his era and will continue evolve into the future. Of course if we could put every rider from all time past, present and future in the same universe and race then we could really know!

[@bimfred]

it is a much more level playing field now. Times are much closer. Not to mention the evolution of team tactics. His domination, besides Lance, will never be repeated. So, yes, in terms of absolute singular dominance, he is the greatest ever. Road biking’s glory days are passed in the same way you will never have rock bands like Led Zepp of Black Sabbath. They literally defined the genre and can never be ‘surpassed’.

[@lordvalentine471]

I have a quart extra Eddy merckx team 7-Eleven sitting in my living room that I bought 30 years ago when I lived in the UK

[@stuartdryer1352]

The best of the best.

[@wimdefoort7698]

The Armstrong who didnt Bring down, that europe for ya🎉

[@thelonious-dx9vi]

Steel is real. Long live the King.

[@michaelstratton5223]

They were already using aluminum in the 70s, no?

[@rockroll9473]

Nice

[@jackmacdonald7636]

Eddy started training even before his first bona fide road bike, I realized this after watching one of his life documentraries, that excess activity MUST have built the best pro cyclist of all?

[@lastup4170]

Allez!

[@chacmool2581]

7:50 Surprised to see the saddle so low.

[@FLYIN_DAGGERZ]

Anybody else ride a vintage bike? I ride a 1970's Viva sport Univega

[@yardsalecycles]

have a few vintage bikes and love them all current project is a Pinorello trevisio

[@trackie1957]

I raced a vintage bike - when it was new back in ‘76

[@Jerry-rf8bn]

Masi Gran Criterium purchased new in 1976. All original equipment except for saddle. I still have it and it is in excellent condition.

[@Terrifier1984]

1978 peugeout columbus frame

[@LS1conehead]

Does my 2000 vintage Merlin Road, Record 10 fitted, qualify in this age of requisite plastic bikes, disc brakes, mile wide rims and 60 PSI tires, and hidden 'aero' everything?? Or is it still too recent to even be labeled 'near retro'?? LOL (I did own a steel Olmo with Super record in the far past though. 😉)

[@petyrkowalski9887]

Greatest cyclist of all time. Total legend.

[@brucekilby9957]

To be so modest says a Lot about Him. Phil Liggett,a legend of La tour himself, calls Eddie the Great Merkcx. Well he should know. 🚲🚲🚲🚲🚓🚲🚲🚑🚲🚲

[@alanjwilley3021]

The Beast.

[@mildandbitter]

In most sports you can argue who is best, in cycling you can only argue who is second best. (for me Hinault)

[@garyfry3795]

Any positive tests other than for covid ?

[@rocky4976]

I saw him in 1992 at Blois and was tempted to say something but had too much respect for his privacy. I get comments on my old orange Molteni SL tubing 1991. Rides like a dream. Merckx was the greatest among many tremendous athletes.

[@FLYIN_DAGGERZ]

Can you "run up the score" in cycling? Yeesh this guy was born to ride

[@MrJeepsters]

Je le trouvais plus fort sur les classiques ou aux championnats du monde. Il avait une grosse concurrence (Gimondi, De Vlaemink, Maertens...).

[@ShermanSitter]

I thought the story was going to end with Merckx eating the little girl.

[@BixbyConsequence]

I was afraid for the cat.

[@nickdigrispino2409]

He detests the nickname “The Cannibal”

[@ShermanSitter]

@@nickdigrispino2409 I guess that is why he stuck to cats.

[@jerre6882]

Grand tours: 5 x Tour de France 4x Giro d'Italia 1x Vuelta Espagne (only rode it once) Classics: 7x Milan - San Remo 2x Tour of Flandres 3x Paris-Roubaix 2x Tour of Lombardia oh, and 3 x World Champion. A lot of wins in the same year. total of 525 wins in his career, 2nd is not even close by a few hundred.

[@Jimmoets]

5x Giro!

[@LarsRR]

And he won 5x Liège - Bastogne - Liège. He is the only cyclist to win all 5 monuments AND all 3 grand tours (and he won WC, too). Then, he is the only cyclist to have won all Monuments more than once and he has won the most grand tours, and the most monuments. Even if Lance wouldn’t have been tested positive, he was never greater than Eddy.

[@WildPhotoShooter]

5x Giro d'Italia 5x tour de France 1x Vuelta.

[@robertoday5639]

Painstakingly efficient when he was setting his seat height

[@jorisabc641]

Onze EDDY MERCKX.

[@johneskimo7561]

2:35 Roeselare!

[@cx34r]

Every drug he could get his hands on.

[@cx34r]

@@robbiddlecombe8392 Its no secret that Merckx was a cheat, he failed drug test and was stripped of victories en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddy_Merckx#Doping

[@cx34r]

@@robbiddlecombe8392 I know that once a cheater always a cheater and I know that you are to dense to recognize a joke.

[@kenbesford2656]

Well said he failed at least 3 drug tests he would be banned for life now

[@kenbesford2656]

@@robbiddlecombe8392 because he failed at least 3 drug tests that's how haha

[@Liofa73]

@@robbiddlecombe8392 --- Are you Phil Liggett in disguise?

[@frankfriedrichheckmannqual4890]

Dwr beste Rennrad Fahrer aller Zeiten.Bravo

[@EddyMerckx-1964-Sallanches]

I have three eddy Merckx bicycles.

[@vickyvonstein2331]

He's a very humble old world man. Not like today's trash.

[@Liofa73]

Not that humble, massive doper. Most of the kids in the peloton today are super humble.

[@vickyvonstein2331]

@@Liofa73 Firstly, he's humble now, not back then. Secondly, doping back in the day was considered the norm. Thirdly, most kids today are afraid of their own shadow.

[@ikawpipa]

what type of motor do they use at that time?

[@decnijfkris3706]

Honestly, I ask myself what he took. He lived here in Woluwé and his dad had a shop on the place. He rides 5 minutes faster Verbeeck said...

[@kristofverschueren2069]

5km per uur 🙂

[@decnijfkris3706]

@@kristofverschueren2069 what did you have to take in these years to ride 5 k faster?

[@decnijfkris3706]

@@kristofverschueren2069 Lance Armstrong says that it's impossible to win the Tour de France without taking doping. He can knw it I guess...

[@pit19931]

He loved the sport and he rode everything single day races ,classics and Grand tours, stage races with passion and determination to win

[@paulsolon6229]

He also was best track racer 6 day, and hr record But he only did a few cross races. In a way wva and mvp are more complete racers, esp wva

[@gaittr]

First got to take advantage of steroids before they were popular or even tested for

[@simpinainteasy680]

Anyone can use PEDs it still takes heart and talent to be consistently great in any sport.

[@Gio_samudra]

iam user eddy merckx sallanches 64 👍👍👍🇮🇩🇮🇩

[@damienocallaghan2648]

5 TDF 5 GIRO 3 WC People will soon be comparing him with me😀😀😀

[@ramonskerrett6286]

Eddie first time seeing his picture was in 74 the year I got into cycling, in my hometown PUERTO RICO 🇵🇷 HE IS THE CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS

[@scottbrown5316]

Didn't Mr. Merckx himself admit that he was doping...a lot. So how is he a hero any more than Lance Armstrong?

[@michadebicki6534]

Everyone was. They just destroyed Lance for sake of cycling image.

[@europeancycleevents1778]

EM the greatest ever

[@razorback9926]

He was suspended for doping several times in the 1970s, I don’t know why he gets a free pass today.

[@K0ga64]

And now they use Salbutamol.

[@razorback9926]

@@K0ga64 Merckx tested positive in 1969, 1973, and 1977. I don’t know why they haven’t stripped his TDF wins, he’s no cleaner than Armstrong.

[@floriangrey]

@@razorback9926 Merckx had a lot of enemies because he was the best and won everything. In 1969 other riders tricked him and he had to leave the Giro. Don't under estimate the jealousy of the other riders at that time.

[@razorback9926]

@@floriangrey What about 1973 and 1977? Do you have excuses for those too?

[@jimbarron8688]

He gets away with it because not enough people persist in calling him out. He was a doper plain and simple.

[@MorganBrown]

So aero

[@lovestylefarms2702]

Michael Jordan is the Eddy Merckx of basketball.

[@jarikinnunen1718]

Most of winners, winning is great moment. Winning to Merckx, was only job to do. When it too easy, is not really compete.

[@paulsolon6229]

Merckx looks like wva

[@phililpb]

Lance was the greatest ever

[@kacy750]

wonder if he doped?

[@4lc4p0rn]

he tested positive 3 times.

[@2321brendan]

@@4lc4p0rn apparently when his son axel started racing with Lance. Eddy introduced Lance to Dr Ferrari.

[@treygray2817]

Of course he did

[@kacy750]

@@treygray2817 the best doper = the "greatest" to some. i must be missing something.

[@stephenreeds3672]

He did and yet he's idolised. Why?

[@Mr71paul71]

he would make mincemeat of these modern day riders on their covert electric bikes and their doping

[@4lc4p0rn]

he's a multiple times caught doper himself.

[@dancar1660]

@@4lc4p0rn Oh yes, for sure. He had the best doctors/scientists working for him!!

[@rcdogmanduh4440]

Matthew @ I agree he will always be the best!

[@kenbesford2656]

No he wouldnt, he doped and failed 3 drug tests

[@thebikehut6603]

Ernest Borgnine anyone?

[@carlobrotto7132]

Wrong title: what made eddy merckx the cyclist with greatest palmares, which is something different from being the greatest ever. This title goes by far to Fausto Coppi who, out of sprinting, overwhelmes Merckx in everything : climb, descent , flat ,chrono, six-jours,track pursuit....an unbelievable grade of class Merckx never got to. Coppi is ahead at least of 1 ctg , at least...

[@Liofa73]

Answer: The Amphetamines.

[@tonyharvey9916]

No drug passports in those days

[@guymorris6596]

Eddy Merckx is the greatest pro cyclist of all time and is still my lifelong pro cycling hero.

[@craighermle7727]

I wonder if there was the testing available in his day that is available now, if the results wouldn't be comparable to L.A. Remember a doper is immortalised on one of the TDF stages.

[@s.powell335]

The pool of talent back then is nowhere near what is racing today. Yes, he could race and win and was a great cyclist but I do not believe he was the greatest of all time.

[@bandeano3870]

He was the greatest of his time, there is no arguing with that. He did it at a time when bicycles were not that advanced and were made entirely of steel. He wore woolen clothes and leather shoes. No advanced diet with power bars and high energy drinks. So it's almost impossible to compare it to today's riders.

[@JB-rt4mx]

Housecats 🐈🐈‍⬛🐈🐈‍⬛🐈

[@davidcoomber4050]

The only reason he is the greatest is Cavendish wasn’t allowed to smash his record

[@markhill9275]

Eddy is the GREATEST athlete the world has ever seen, across all sports, even greater than the amazing Jahangir Khan. No one has his record, he IS the greatest. Of course usaans will cry that theirs sre better, but thats just their usual crybaby stuff. Long live Le Cannibale!

[@erikeippel]

Cavendish just took it from Merckx.

[@backtoids]

walang helmet jempoy amp

[@attybong]

greatest? he too doped .. he was the one who introduced lance to dr ferrari lol !!