Eddy Merckx Photo Gallery
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Photo gallery | World Hour Record photos
Eddy Merckx (Born June 17, 1945) was the greatest cyclist in the history of the sport. Scroll down this page to see that his list of victories is without equal.
He was a complete rider: able to time trial, climb, race across cobbles and win track races. Combine that talent with an extraordinary passion for victory and you have a rider who contested more than 1,800 road races and won 525 of them. Only he (1974) and Stephen Roche (1987) have won the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and World Road Championship in the same year. His 34 Tour de France stage wins is the career record as are his 96 days in yellow.
Major victories:
Summary of the big stuff:
World Hour Record in 1972
5 Tour de France
5
Giro d'Italia
1 Vuelta a España
7 Milano-San Remo
3 Pro World Road Champion
28 Classic victories
1964: Amateur World Road Championship
1966: Milano-San Remo, Trofeo Baracchi
1967: World Road Championship, Milano-San Remo, Le Flèche Wallonne, Gent-Wevelgem, Trofeo Baracchi
1968: Giro d'Italia (GC, KOM, points and 4 stages), Paris-Roubaix, Tour of Romandie, Tre Valli Varesine, Volta a Catalunya, Giro di Sargegna
1969: Tour de France (GC, points, 6 stages), Milano-San Remo, Ronde van Vlaanderen, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Paris-Nice
1970: Giro d'Italia with 3 stage victories, Tour de France (GC, KOM, 8 stages), Paris-Roubaix, La Flèche Wallonne, Gent-Wevelgem, Paris-Nice, Tour of Belgium, Critérium de As, Belgium Road Championship
1971: Tour de France (GC, points, 4 stages), World Road Championship, Milano-San Remo, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Rund um den Henninger Turm, Het Volk, Paris-Nice, Dauphiné Libéré, Midi Libre, Tour of Belgium, Giro di Lombardia.
1972: Giro d'Italia with 3 stage victories, Tour de France (GC, points, 6 stages), Milano-San Remo, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, La Flèche Wallone, Giro del Piemonte, Trofeo Baracchi, Giro di Lombardia
1973: Giro d'Italia (GC, points, 6 stages), Vuelta a España (GC, points, 6 stages), Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Amstel Gold, Het Volk, Gent Wevelgem, Paris-Brussels, Giro di Sardegna
1974: Giro d'Italia with 2 stage wins, Tour de France with 8 stages, World Road Championship, Tour de Suisse, Critérium de As
1975: Milano-San Remo, Ronde van Vlaanderen, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Amstel Gold, Catalan Week, Giro di Sardegna
1976: Milano-San Remo, Catalan Week
1977: Tour Méditerranéen
Professional Career: 1965 - 1978
Professional Teams:
1965: Solo-Superia
1966 - 1967: Peugeot-BP
1968 - 1969: Faema
1970: Faemino
1971 - 1976: Molteni
1977: Fiat
1978: C & A
World Hour Record photos by James Lockwood:
James Lockwood was in Mexico City that fateful week in 1972 when Eddy Merckx was there to set a new World Hour Record. Mr. Lockwood has generously shared his historic photos of that incredible week. Owen Mulholland wrote of that famous ride.
In Mexico City, from left: Eddy Merckx, Remo Vecchi and Signor Molteni, Eddy Merckx's pro team sponsor. Vecchi was a former employee of Cinelli who was at this time an engineer at Acer-Mex, which produced Windsor bicycles. Hence the resemblance between Windsor and Cinelli bikes.
Eddy Merckx and Mr. Lockwood
Merckx setting the new World Hour Record
The greatest rider ever
Merckx was sponsored by Molteni 1971 - 1976
Newspaper photo signed by Merckx
Eddy Merckx with Egon Hessel, Chairman of Acer-Mex S.A, maker of Windsor bikes. Mexico City
Along the way, Mr. Lockwood photographed Agustin Alcantara. Racers of a certain age will remember that as leader of the Mexican National Team, Alcantara won the first Tour of California in 1971. It should be noted that Peter Rich of Velo-Sport in Berkeley poured all of his money into an attempt to bring real stage racing to the western United States.
Alcantara died in 1979 when he was just 32 years old.
Merckx wins stage 2 of the 1968 Giro d'Italia in Novara
Merckx in the 1968 Giro d'Italia
Meckx time trialing to San Marino in stage 16 of the 1968 Giro d'Italia.
Merckx at the 1968 GP Castrocaro Terme
Another shot of Merckx at the 1968 GP Castrocaro Terme
Merckx in stage 15 of the 1969 Giro d'Italia
Another shot of Merckx time trialing in stage 15 of the 1969 Giro d'Italia
1969 Tour de France, Stage 1A: Merckx on the Muur de Grammont
1969 Tour de France, Stage 16: Merckx escapes on the Portillon.
Franco Bitossi in pink with Eddy Merckx after stage 2 of the 1970 Giro.
Eddy Merckx with maglia rosa Franco Bitossi early in the 1970 Giro d'Italia.
Merckx on his way to winning the stage 6 individual time trial (Bassano del Grappa -Treviso, 56 km) in the 1970 Giro d'Italia.
Felice Gimondi leads Merckx in stage 18 of the 1970 Giro d'Italia
Merckx rides to Dobbiaco in stage 19 of the 1970 Giro d'Italia
Mr. and Mrs. Merckx celebrate his victory in the 1970 Giro d'Italia.
1970 Tour de France, stage 6 (Belfort - Divone Les Bains): Merckx leads Roger de Vlaeminck on the pavé.
1970 Tour de France, stage 10: Eddy Merckx leads Georges Pintens, Joop Zoetemelk and Guerrino Tosello (hidden).
1970 Tour de France, stage 12: Merckx crests the Cucheron.
Merckx in 1970
1971: Merckx wins the first of his two Omloop Het Volk victories.
Merckx pulling the Molteni team on its way to winning the prologue team time trial in the 1971 Tour de France.
1971 Tour de France, stage 2: Eddy Merckx beats Roger de Vlaeminck
Merckx in the 1971 Tour de France, stage 13.
Merckx in 1971
Franco Bitossi and Eddy Merckx in the 1971 Milano 6-Day
1972 Omloop Het Volk: Frans Verbeeck talks to Merckx before the race's start.
1972 Omloop Het Volk: Merckx is on eventual winner Frans Verbeeck's wheel
Merckx in the 1972 Giro d'Italia
Merckx leads in stage 16 to Livigno in the 1972 Giro
1972 Giro d'Italia, stage 17: Merckx in difficulty on the Passo dello Stelvio
Another shot of Merckx climbing the Stelvio in stage 17 of the 1972 Giro
1972 Tour de France, stage 4: at the front from the left, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Thévenet and Walter Godefroot
1973 Omloop Het Volk: Roger der Vlaeminck and Merckx have broken away. Late in the race Merckx would drop de Vlaeminck and finish two seconds ahead.
Another shot of the de Vlaeminck-Merckx break.
Merckx in pink in the 1973 Giro d'Italia
Merckx and Felice Gimondi at the start of the 1973 Circuito di Santamonica
1974 Giro d'Italia, stage 21: Eddy Merckx wins in Bassano del Grappa in front of Francesco Moser and Felice Gimondi.
1974 Tour de France, stage 18: Merckx ascends the Tourmalet
Eddy Merckx and Frans Verbeeck in the 1975 Ronde van Vlaanderen. Merckx won.
Merckx in 1975
1975 Tour de France: Merckx rides the prologue time trial.
Eddy Merckx after winning Milano-San Remo for the 7th time in 1976. That's Tulio Campagnolo with him.
Merckx begins a mountain stage in the 1976 Giro d'Italia
Michele Dancelli and Eddy Merckx on the evening before the 2004 Granfondo Gimondi. Valeria Paoletti photo.
Stage 18 of the 2011 Tour de France: Bernard Thévenet, Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx and Tour boss Christian Prudhomme at the Coppi-Bobet monument on the Col d'Izoard.