Eddy Merckx facts for kids
Merckx in 1971
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| Personal information | |||
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| Full name | Édouard Louis Joseph Merckx | ||
| Born | 17 June 1945 Meensel-Kiezegem, Belgium |
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| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Weight | 74 kg (163 lb; 11 st 9 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Retired | ||
| Discipline | Road and track | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | All-rounder | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx (born 17 June 1945), known as Eddy Merckx, is a famous Belgian former professional road and track cyclist. Many people consider him the most successful rider in the history of competitive cycling. He won an amazing eleven Grand Tours (five Tours de France, five Giros d'Italia, and one Vuelta a España). He also won all five major Monuments (the biggest one-day races), set the hour record, and won three World Championships.
Born in Meensel-Kiezegem, Belgium, Eddy grew up in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre where his parents ran a grocery store. He tried many sports but found his true passion in cycling. He got his first bicycle when he was very young and competed in his first race in 1961. His first victory came in October 1961.
After winning eighty races as an amateur, he became a professional cyclist in 1965. His first big win was in the Milan–San Remo race a year later. Between 1970 and 1974, Merckx won two Grand Tours in the same year four times. In 1974, he also won the World Championships, becoming the first rider to achieve cycling's Triple Crown of Cycling. In October 1972, Merckx broke the hour record, riding almost 800 meters further than the previous record.
He earned the nickname "The Cannibal" because he wouldn't let anyone else win. This name was suggested by the daughter of a teammate. Merckx achieved 525 victories during his eighteen-year career. He is one of only three riders to have won all five 'Monuments' and the only one to have won them all at least twice. Merckx was successful in both road and track cycling, and in both long stage races and one-day races. He is widely seen as the greatest and most successful cyclist ever.
After retiring from the sport in 1978, he stayed active in cycling. He started his own bicycle brand, Eddy Merckx Cycles, in 1980. His bikes were used by many professional teams. Merckx also coached the Belgian national cycling team for eleven years. He helped start and organize the Tour of Qatar and also assisted with the Tour of Oman.
Contents
- Early Life and Amateur Cycling
- Professional Cycling Career
- Retirement Activities
- Personal Life
- Career Achievements
- Legacy and Records
- Honours and Awards
- Books About Eddy Merckx
- Images for kids
Early Life and Amateur Cycling
Eddy Merckx was born in Meensel-Kiezegem, Belgium, on 17 June 1945. His family moved to Woluwe-Saint-Pierre in Brussels in 1946 to run a grocery store. As a child, Eddy was very active and always playing outside.
He was a competitive kid and played many sports, including basketball, football, table tennis, and boxing. He even played lawn tennis for a junior team. However, Merckx said he knew he wanted to be a cyclist from age four. He started riding a bike at age three or four and rode to school every day from age eight. Merckx would pretend to be his cycling hero Stan Ockers when riding with friends.
In summer 1961, Merckx got his first racing license and competed in his first official race a month after turning sixteen. He finished sixth. He rode in twelve more races before winning his first in October 1961. In the winter after his first win, he trained with former racer Félicien Vervaecke at a local velodrome (a track for cycling). Merckx won his second race in March 1962. He competed in 55 races in 1962, and his school grades started to drop as he spent more time cycling. After winning the Belgian amateur road race title, Merckx left school. He finished the season with 23 victories.
Merckx won the amateur road race at the 1964 UCI Road World Championships in France. The next month, he finished twelfth in the individual road race at the Tokyo Olympics. Merckx remained an amateur until April 1965, ending his amateur career with eighty wins.
Professional Cycling Career
1965–1967: Early Professional Years
1965: First Professional Season
Merckx became a professional cyclist on 29 April 1965, joining Rik Van Looy's Belgian team. He won his first professional race in Vilvoorde. In August, Merckx finished second in the Belgian national championships. This qualified him for the World Championships.
Merckx decided to leave his first team because he felt his teammates, especially Van Looy, treated him poorly. They made fun of his habits and didn't teach him much. He then signed with the French team Peugeot–BP–Michelin. While with his first team, he won nine races out of nearly 70.
1966: First Major Victory
In March 1966, Merckx entered his first major stage race as a professional, the Paris–Nice. He led the race for one stage before finishing fourth overall. His next event was Milan–San Remo, one of cycling's 'Monuments'. He attacked on the final climb, the Poggio, and then won the sprint to the finish line. In the following weeks, he raced the Tour of Flanders and Paris–Roubaix, but had bad luck with a crash and a flat tire. At the 1966 UCI Road World Championships, he finished twelfth in the road race. He ended the 1966 season with 20 wins.
1967: World Champion
Merckx started 1967 with two stage wins at the Giro di Sardegna. He then won a stage and took the lead in Paris–Nice. He won another stage there, helping his teammate Tom Simpson secure the overall victory.
On 18 March, Merckx won the Milan–San Remo again, his second straight win in this race. His next victory was in La Flèche Wallonne. In May, he started the Giro d'Italia, his first Grand Tour. He won two stages and finished ninth overall.
He signed with Faema in September, wanting more control over his team. The next day, Merckx raced in the 1967 UCI Road World Championships in the Netherlands. He was part of a small group that broke away and then out-sprinted Jan Janssen to win first place. This made him the third rider to win both amateur and professional world road race titles. Winning the race meant he could wear the rainbow jersey as world champion.
1968–1970: Faema Team Success
1968: First Grand Tour Win
Merckx's first win with his new team was a stage victory at the Giro di Sardegna. He had to quit Paris–Nice because of a knee injury. He didn't win Milan–San Remo or the Tour of Flanders that year. His next victory came at Paris–Roubaix, a tough race with bad weather and many flat tires.
His team wanted him to race the Giro d'Italia instead of the Tour de France. He won the second stage. In the twelfth stage, despite rainy weather and tough climbs, Merckx attacked and rode solo to win the stage and take the race lead. Merckx went on to win the entire Giro, along with the points classification and mountains classification. He also won the Volta a Catalunya. He finished the season with 32 wins.
1969: Tour de France Victory and Injury
Merckx started 1969 with wins at the Vuelta a Levante and Paris–Nice. In March, he won his first major race of the year, the Tour of Flanders. He attacked alone and rode to victory despite a flat tire earlier. In the seventeen days after this win, Merckx won nine more races, including Milan–San Remo and Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
He began the Giro d'Italia in May, planning to ride less aggressively. He had won four stages and was leading the race. However, before the sixteenth stage, he was told he was disqualified from the race and suspended for a month. Later, the cycling body overturned the suspension, clearing him.
Before the Tour de France, Merckx rested and trained. He won the sixth stage by attacking on a climb. During the seventeenth stage, Merckx attacked on the Col du Tourmalet and rode alone for a long time, even though he was in pain. He finished the stage far ahead of others. Merckx won six stages in the Tour, along with the overall, points, mountains, and combination titles. He also won the award for the most aggressive rider.
His next big race was Paris–Luxembourg. Merckx attacked near the finish and won the stage and the overall race.
In September, Merckx was in a track cycling event called an omnium in Blois, where riders are paced by a small motorcycle called a derny. His pacer, Fernand Wambst, crashed. Merckx also crashed, hitting his head. Wambst sadly died from his injuries. Merckx was unconscious for 45 minutes and suffered a concussion (a brain injury), whiplash, and other injuries. He said he "was never the same again" after the crash, often adjusting his seat to ease the pain.
1970: Winning the Giro and Tour
Merckx started 1970 with a mild tendonitis (swelling of a tendon) in his knee. He won the overall title at Paris–Nice, along with three stages. He then won the Gent–Wevelgem, the Tour of Belgium, and Paris–Roubaix. In Paris–Roubaix, he won by over five minutes, the largest margin in the race's history. He also won La Flèche Wallonne.
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After a past issue at the Giro d'Italia, Merckx agreed to return to the race in 1970 only if doping controls were done in a specific lab. He won the second stage, but later showed weakness in the mountains. However, he attacked the next day to win a stage and take the lead. He won a time trial stage by almost two minutes, greatly increasing his lead. He went on to win the Giro.
Before the Tour, Merckx won the Belgian national road race title. He won the Tour's opening stage, taking the first yellow jersey. He regained the lead after winning the sixth stage. He won the ninth stage time trial and the tenth mountain stage, expanding his lead. Merckx won three more stages, including a tough climb to Mont Ventoux, where he needed oxygen at the finish. He won two more time trials and finished the Tour by over twelve minutes. He had eight stage victories, winning the mountains and combination classifications. He also became the third rider to win both the Giro and Tour in the same year.
1971–1976: Molteni Team Era
1971: Third Tour and Second World Title
Merckx joined the Italian team Molteni after his previous team closed. He won the Giro di Sardegna and his third straight Paris–Nice. In Milan–San Remo, he won his fourth edition of the race. Six days later, he won the Omloop Het Volk.
After winning the Tour of Belgium, Merckx faced tough competition in the spring classics. He suffered five flat tires during Paris–Roubaix. The Liège–Bastogne–Liège was held in cold rain. Merckx attacked far from the finish and won a sprint against Georges Pintens. Instead of the Giro, he raced and won two shorter stage races in France.
The Tour de France began with a team time trial which Merckx's team won, giving him the lead. He lost and regained the lead early on. In the second stage, a large group including Merckx broke away and finished far ahead. After a week, Merckx had a small lead. In the eighth stage, on the climb to Puy-de-Dôme, his rivals gained time on him.
On the ninth stage, Merckx had a flat tire on a descent. His rivals attacked and gained a minute and a half. The next day, Merckx lost eight minutes due to stomach pains. In the eleventh stage, Merckx and some teammates formed a breakaway, gaining two minutes. He then won a time trial, gaining more time. In the Pyrenees, during a stage with heavy thunderstorms, Merckx crashed on a descent. His rival, Luis Ocaña, also crashed and had to leave the race due to injuries. Merckx took the race lead. Out of respect for Ocaña, Merckx chose not to wear the yellow jersey the next day. He won two more stages and the overall, points, and combination titles.
Seven weeks after the Tour, Merckx entered the World Championships in Switzerland. He was part of a five-man breakaway. He attacked on the second to last stage and won the sprint to the finish, earning his second rainbow jersey. He ended 1971 with his first win in the Giro di Lombardia. This meant Merckx had won all of cycling's Monuments. During the off-season, he had his displaced pelvis (hip bone) treated by a doctor.
1972: Hour Record and Another Giro–Tour Double
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Merckx started 1972 not in his best shape. In Paris–Nice, he broke a vertebra (bone in the spine) in a crash. Despite doctor's advice, he continued racing, barely able to stand on his bike. He won a stage in Paris–Nice but lost the overall lead in the final stage to Raymond Poulidor. Two days later, Merckx won Milan–San Remo for the fifth time.
He crashed again in Paris–Roubaix, making his back injury worse. He won Liège–Bastogne–Liège by attacking alone. Three days later, he won La Flèche Wallonne in an uphill sprint. He became the third rider to win both La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège in the same weekend. He chose to race the Giro d'Italia instead of the Vuelta a España.
In the Giro, Merckx lost time to Spanish climber José Manuel Fuente. However, Merckx later gained over four minutes on Fuente and became the new race leader. He expanded his lead by winning a time trial. Fuente and a teammate attacked Merckx in a mountain stage, but Merckx caught them and then attacked to win the stage. He lost some time due to stomach trouble in another stage but went on to win his third Giro d'Italia.
Merckx entered the Tour de France in July, where a big battle with Ocaña was expected. He won the opening stage and built a lead. In the seventh stage, Ocaña had a flat tire on a climb, and Merckx's group attacked. Ocaña crashed while chasing and lost almost two minutes. Merckx was criticized for attacking, but he pointed out that Ocaña had done the same thing the year before. Merckx won the next stage, regaining the lead. He won three more stages and finished as the Tour winner, completing his second Giro-Tour double.
Merckx decided to try to break the hour record in October. The attempt took place on 25 October in Mexico City, Mexico, at a high-altitude track, which meant less air resistance. He started very fast but then slowed down before recovering. He rode 49.431 km (31 mi), breaking the world record. He said the pain was "very, very, very significant."
1973: Giro–Vuelta Double
An illness kept Merckx from racing Milan–San Remo in 1973. Over nineteen days, Merckx won four classic races, including Omloop Het Volk, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and Paris–Roubaix. He decided to race the Vuelta a España and the Giro d'Italia, instead of the Tour de France. He won the opening stage of the Vuelta and went on to win six stages, securing his only Vuelta a España title. He also won the points and combination classifications.
Four days after the Vuelta, Merckx started the Giro d'Italia. He won the opening two-man time trial and the next day's stage. His main rival, Fuente, lost a lot of time early on. Merckx won the eighth stage, which had a tough climb. Fuente tried attacking throughout the rest of the race, but Merckx held his lead. Merckx won the race after leading from start to finish, a rare achievement. He also became the first rider to win the Giro and Vuelta in the same year.
The World Championships were held in Spain. In the road race, Merckx attacked with about one hundred kilometers left. He was caught by three other riders, and in the final sprint, Merckx finished last of the leading group, with Felice Gimondi winning. After the World Championships, Merckx won his first Paris–Brussels and Grand Prix des Nations. He won both parts of À travers Lausanne and the Giro di Lombardia, but was later disqualified from the Giro di Lombardia. He ended the season with over fifty victories.
1974: Cycling's Triple Crown
In 1974, Merckx didn't win a spring classic for the first time, partly because he was sick. Pneumonia (a lung infection) forced him to stop racing for a month, so he started the Giro d'Italia not in his best shape. He lost time early to Fuente. Merckx gained time in the race's only time trial. Two days later, in bad weather, Merckx attacked far from the finish. Fuente lost ten minutes, and Merckx became the race leader. In the twentieth stage, Fuente and Gianbattista Baronchelli attacked on a climb, and Merckx's lead shrunk to just twelve seconds. He held on to win his fifth Giro d'Italia.
Three days after the Giro, Merckx started the Tour de Suisse. He won the opening stage and rode carefully for the rest of the race. He won the final time trial to secure the overall victory. After this race, Merckx had a sebaceous cyst (a small lump under the skin) removed on 22 June. Five days later, he was scheduled to begin the Tour de France. The wound was still slightly open and bled during the race.
At the Tour, Merckx won the opening stage, taking the first yellow jersey, which he lost the next day. He won the seventh stage by attacking near the end. He gained five minutes on his main rival, Poulidor, on the Col du Galibier. The next day, on Mont Ventoux, Merckx rode to limit his losses against other riders. He expanded his lead with several more stage victories. Merckx finished the Tour with eight stage wins and his fifth Tour de France victory, matching the record.
Going into the World Championships, Merckx was a key rider for Belgium. The race had a hilly course. Merckx and Poulidor attacked near the end. They rode to the finish together, where Merckx won the sprint. By winning this race, Merckx became the first rider to achieve the Triple Crown of Cycling, which means winning the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and the World Championships in one year. It was also his third world title.
1975: Second Place at the Tour
Merckx started 1975 well, winning Milan–San Remo and the Amstel Gold Race. He also won the Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme. In the Catalan Week, his important teammate, Joseph Bruyère, broke his leg. Two days later, Merckx won his third Tour of Flanders by attacking far from the finish. In Paris–Roubaix, he had a flat tire but chased back to the leaders. He won his fifth Liège–Bastogne–Liège by attacking many times.
Merckx's racing style changed; other riders expected him to chase attacks, which annoyed him. He caught a cold and later tonsilitis (swelling of the tonsils), which affected his performance. This meant he didn't race the Giro d'Italia. He then rode in the Dauphiné Libéré and Tour de Suisse, finishing second in the latter.
He finished second in the Tour de France's opening stage. He gained time on rivals in later stages and won two time trials. During the eleventh stage, Merckx's team set a fast pace. On the final climb, Merckx was alone and couldn't follow an attack by Thevenet, losing over two minutes. After that stage, Merckx decided to focus on marking Thevenet.
While climbing the Puy-de-Dôme, Merckx was punched in the back by a spectator. He finished the stage 34 seconds behind Thevenet and then vomited. The punch left a large bruise. During the rest day, he was found to have an inflamed liver and was given medicine.
The stage after the rest day had five climbs. Merckx felt pain from the punch and asked a teammate for an analgesic (painkiller). Thevenet attacked many times, and Merckx countered them. Merckx then sped away on a descent. However, on the final climb, Merckx struggled. Thevenet caught and passed him, and Merckx finished fifth, losing more time. The next day, Merckx lost two more minutes to Thevenet. He crashed in the next stage, breaking a cheekbone (bone in the face). He finished second overall in the Tour, the first time he had lost the Tour in his six starts.
1976: Record Seventh Milan–San Remo
He started 1976 with his record seventh victory in Milan–San Remo. He also won the Catalan Week but crashed in the final stage, injuring his elbow. This injury affected his performance in the spring classics. He raced the Giro d'Italia but didn't win any stages for the first time in his career. He finished eighth overall, dealing with a saddle boil (a painful skin infection). After the Giro, Merckx announced he wouldn't race the Tour de France. He finished fifth at the World Championships. He ended his season in October. He failed to win the Super Prestige Pernod International for the first time since 1968. His team, Molteni, ended their sponsorship at the end of the season.
1977–1978: Final Professional Years
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Fiat France became Merckx's new team sponsor, with Raphaël Géminiani as the new manager. Merckx won his first races of the season in the Grand Prix d'Aix and Tour Méditerranéen. He agreed to race a lighter spring season to save himself for a chance at a sixth Tour victory. He won one stage at Paris–Nice but had to leave the final stage due to sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses). In the spring classics, he didn't win any races, with his best finish being sixth in Liège–Bastogne–Liège. Before the Tour, Merckx raced the Dauphiné Libéré and Tour de Suisse, winning one stage in the latter.
He admitted he was not in good shape and was worried about old injuries before the Tour de France. He held second place overall for two weeks. As the race entered the Alps, Merckx started to lose time, losing thirteen minutes on the stage to Alpe d'Huez alone. On a later stage, Merckx attacked and gained enough time to move into sixth overall, where he finished the Tour. After the Tour, Merckx raced many smaller races. He finished thirty-third at the World Championships. Merckx earned his final victory on the road in September in a local race. In late December, Fiat France decided to stop sponsoring Merckx.
In January, the department store C&A announced they would sponsor a new team for Merckx. His plan was to race one last Tour de France and then some smaller races. He raced only five times in 1978. His last victory was in a track event in February 1978. His first road race was in February, where he quit early. His best finish was fifth in the Tour de Haut. He left Omloop Het Volk due to colitis (inflammation of the colon). He completed his final race on 19 March. After that, Merckx went on vacation. He tried to train more, but his team sponsor knew he was going to quit. Merckx announced his retirement from cycling on 18 May, stating that doctors advised him not to race anymore.
Retirement Activities
Script error: The function "" does not exist. After retiring from racing, Merckx opened Eddy Merckx Cycles in Brussels in 1980. The first workers were trained by a famous bike maker. The company faced financial problems at one point but became well-known and successful. Many top cycling teams used their bikes in the 1980s and 1990s. Merckx stepped down as CEO in 2008 but continued to test the bikes and give ideas. As of 2015, the business is still in Belgium and sells bikes to over twenty-five countries.
Merckx managed the Belgian national cycling team for eleven years, from 1986 to 1996. He also briefly directed the Tour of Flanders race. He helped sponsor a youth cycling team that included his son, Axel. He helped organize the Grand Prix Eddy Merckx, a professional race that later ended due to lack of interest from riders.
He played a big part in starting the Tour of Qatar in 2002. The former leader of Qatar wanted to start a bike race to show off his country. Merckx contacted the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) president, who checked Qatar's roads. Merckx then worked with Amaury Sport Organisation to plan the race. Merckx officially co-owned the race and helped organize it until it was cancelled in 2017 due to money issues. He also helped Qatar host the 2016 UCI Road World Championships and designed the race route. Merckx also helped start the Tour of Oman in 2010. In 2015, Merckx said he would always be involved with cycling, as a bike builder and an ambassador. In 2017, Merckx and his partner left the Tour of Oman organizers after a disagreement.
Personal Life
Merckx started dating Claudine Acou in April 1965. She was a teacher and the daughter of the national amateur team's trainer. Merckx asked her father for permission to marry her. On 5 December 1967, Merckx married Claudine. She often handled the press for him because he was shy. Their first child, Sabrina, was born in 1970. Merckx skipped a team training camp to be with his wife for Sabrina's birth. Claudine later gave birth to a son, Axel, who also became a professional cyclist. Merckx grew up speaking Flemish but learned French in school.
In 1996, Albert II of Belgium, the King of the Belgians, gave him the title of baron. In Italy, Merckx was given the title of Cavaliere. In 2011, he was named a "Commander of the Legion of Honour" by the French President. Merckx is an ambassador for the Damien The Leper Society, a group that fights leprosy and other diseases. He was blessed by Pope John Paul II in the 1990s. Merckx loves art and says his favorite artist is René Magritte, a surrealist. Salvador Dalí is another favorite.
In 2013, Merckx received a pacemaker (a device that helps regulate heart rhythm) to correct a heart issue. The surgery was a preventative measure. Merckx said he never had heart problems while racing, even though several men in his family died young from heart-related issues. In May 2004, he had an esophagus (food pipe) operation for stomachaches he had since he was young. He lost almost 30 kg after the procedure. On 13 October 2019, Merckx was hospitalized after a cycling accident, suffering a hemorrhage (bleeding) and falling unconscious. He was released a week later.
In December 2024, Merckx crashed during a group bike ride and fractured his hip. He needed a full hip replacement.
Career Achievements
Legacy and Records
Eddy Merckx is widely considered the greatest and most successful cyclist of all time. He was excellent in both Grand Tours (long stage races) and one-day classic races. He was a very good time trialist (a rider who races alone against the clock) and climber. Merckx also showed great skill in track cycling. He was known for his aggressive racing style, always attacking, which was called la course en tête ("the race in the lead"). He would often break away and then attack again the next day. Even with his constant attacks, he sometimes rode defensively, especially when racing against Fuente in the Giro.
Merckx entered over 1,800 races in his career and won a total of 525. Because he was so dominant, some cycling historians call the time he raced the "Merckx Era." During his professional career, he won 445 of the 1585 races he entered. Between 1967 and 1977, Merckx raced between 111 and 151 races each season. In 1971, he raced 120 times and won 54 events, which is the most races any cyclist has won in a single season. Merckx agrees he was the best of his time but says it's hard to compare riders from different generations. Because cyclists today specialize more, Merckx's number of road race victories will likely never be beaten.
Merckx is one of only three riders to win all five 'Monuments of Cycling' (Milan–San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris–Roubaix, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and the Giro di Lombardia). The other two are Rik Van Looy and Roger De Vlaeminck. He won nineteen Monument races in total, more than any other rider. He won twenty-eight classic races, with Paris–Tours being the only major classic he didn't win.
While racing, he became the third rider to win all three Grand Tours in his career. He holds the record for most Grand Tour victories with 11, and the record for most stage wins across all three Grand Tours with 64. He has completed the most Giro-Tour doubles (winning both in the same year) in history, with three. He was the first rider to win cycling's Triple Crown (Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and World Championships in one year). He is the only rider to win the general, points, and mountains classifications at both the Giro d'Italia (in 1968) and the Tour de France (in 1969). He shares the record for most victories at both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France, with five wins at each. In those races, he also holds the records for days spent in the race leader's jersey: 78 days in the Giro's pink jersey and 96 days in the Tour's yellow jersey. For his success in the Giro d'Italia, Merckx was the first rider inducted into the race's Hall of Fame in 2012. At the Tour, he is just behind Mark Cavendish for the record of most stage wins in a career (Merckx has 34, Cavendish has 35). The start of the 2019 Tour de France was held in Brussels, Belgium, to honor Merckx's first Tour de France win in 1969.
He was given the nickname "The Cannibal" by the daughter of his teammate Christian Raymond. Raymond had said that Merckx wouldn't let anyone else win, and his daughter called Merckx a cannibal. Raymond liked the nickname and told the press. In Italy, he was known as il mostro ("the Monster").
Records Overview
Grand Tours
- Most Grand Tour wins: 11
- Most consecutive Grand Tours wins: 4 (1972 Giro d'Italia, 1972 Tour de France, 1973 Vuelta a España & 1973 Giro d'Italia)
- Most Grand Tour stage wins: 64
- Most Tour de France wins: 5 (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 & 1974) (record shared with Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Induráin)
- Most stage wins in 1 Tour de France: 8 in 1970 (record shared with Charles Pélissier and Freddy Maertens)
- Most days in Tour de France yellow jersey
: 96 - First winner of all 3 specialties in 1 Tour de France (mountain, sprint, and individual time trial) in 1974
- The only general, points and mountains classification winner in the Tour de France: 1969
- Most Tour de France combativity awards
: 4 (1969, 1970, 1974 & 1975) - Most Giro d'Italia wins: 5 (1968, 1970, 1972, 1973 & 1974) (record shared with Alfredo Binda and Fausto Coppi)
- Most days in Giro d'Italia pink jersey
: 78 - The only general, points and mountains classification winner in the Giro d'Italia: 1968
Classic Races
- Winner of all 5 Monuments of Cycling (record shared with Rik Van Looy and Roger De Vlaeminck)
- Most victories in all Monuments: 19
- The only winner of 3 Monuments in 1 year: 4 times (1969, 1971, 1972 & 1975)
- The only cyclist to win all 5 Monuments more than once
- Most victories in classic races: 28
- Most victories in a single classic: 7 in Milan–San Remo (1966, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1975 & 1976)
- Most Liège–Bastogne–Liège wins: 5 (1969, 1971, 1972, 1973 & 1975)
- Most Gent–Wevelgem wins: 3 (1967, 1970 & 1973) (shared record)
Other Achievements
- Most road races won by a professional cyclist: 525
- Most road races won in 1 season: 54 (of 120 entries) in 1971
- UCI World hour record
: 1972 - Most UCI World Road Championships
: 3 (1967, 1971 & 1974) (record shared with Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen, Óscar Freire and Peter Sagan) - Triple Crown of Cycling winner: 1974 (record shared with Stephen Roche and Tadej Pogačar)
- Monument winner, Grand Tour winner and UCI World Champion in 1 year: 1971 (record shared with Alfredo Binda, Bernard Hinault and Remco Evenepoel)
- Most Super Prestige Pernod wins: 7 (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 & 1975)
- Most Escalada a Montjuïc wins: 6 (1966, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974 & 1975)
- Most Giro di Sardegna wins: 4 (1968, 1971, 1973 & 1975)
- Most Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme wins: 2 (1975 and 1976) (shared record)
World Hour Record
| Discipline | Record | Date | Event | Velodrome | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hour record | 49.431 km | 25 October 1972 | — | Agustín Melgar Olympic Velodrome, Mexico City |
Honours and Awards
Titles of Honour
Knight of the French Legion of Honour: 1975
Officer in the Belgian Order of Leopold II: 1996
Commander of the French Legion of Honour: 2014
Knight in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Silver Olympic Order: 1995- Created Baron Merckx by Royal Decree: 1996
- Honorary doctorate of the university VUB: 2011
- Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee Order of Merit: 2013
- Merckx is honorary citizen of Meise, Tielt-Winge and Tervuren
- Bronze Zinneke: 2006
Sport Awards and Honours
- Belgian National Sports Merit Award: 1967
- Belgian Sportsman of the Year: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974
- Tour de France Overall Combativity award: 1969, 1970, 1974, 1975
- Tour de France Stage Combativity award (14): 4 in 1975; 3 in 1970; 2 in 1969, 1974 & 1977; 1 in 1971
- PAP European Sportsperson of the Year: 1969, 1970
- Worldwide Sportsman of the Year: 1969, 1971, 1974
- Grand Prix de l'Académie des Sport (fr): 1969
- Mendrisio d'Or (fr): 1972, 2011
- Gan Challenge: 1973, 1974, 1975
- Swiss AIOCC Trophy (fr): 1980, 2021
- Procyclingstats.com – All Time Wins Ranking (1st place, 276 wins)
- Belgian Sportsman of the 20th Century: 1999
- Reuters Worldwide Sports Personality of the Century (7th place): 1999
- Reuters General Sportsman of the Century (2nd place): 1999
- UCI Cyclist of the 20th Century: 2000
- Marca Legend: 2000
- Vincenzo Torriani Award: 2001
- Introduced in the UCI Hall of Fame: 2002
- UCI Top 100 of All Time: (1st place, 24 510 points)
- Memoire du Cyclisme – Ranking of the Greatest Cyclists (1st place): 2002
- Bleacher Report – The 30 Most Dominant Athletes of All Time (20th): 2010
- Bleacher Report – Tour de France All-Time Top 25 Riders (1st place): 2011
- Italian Sport and Civilization Award: 2011
- First Member Giro Hall of Fame: 2012
- Topito – Top 15 Greatest Cyclists Ever (1st place): 2012
- L'Équipe Trophée Champion des Champions de Légende: 2014
- Rouleur Hall of Fame: 2018
- Velonews The Greatest Cyclists of All Time (1st place): 2019
- Wiggle The Best Cyclists Ever Rank (1st place): 2020
- Eurosport Greatest General Classification Cyclist of all Time: 2020
- CyclingRanking – Overall Ranking (1st place): 2022
- Vélo d'Or honorary award: 2023
Places and Statues
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- Monument in Stavelot: 1993
- Vélodrome Eddy Merckx, Mourenx: 1999
- Eddy Merckx metro station, Brussels: 2003
- Sports complex, Vlaams Wielercentrum Eddy Merckx, Gent: 2006
- Momument in Meise: 2015
- Statue in Meensel-Kiezegem: 2015
- Square Eddy Merckx in Sint-Pieters-Woluwe: 2019
Events and Awards Named After Him
- Golden Bike Eddy Merckx: a cycle race for new riders from 1983 to 2008
- Grand Prix Eddy Merckx: a professional cycle race from 1980 to 2004
- Chiba Alpencup (de) Eddy Merckx Classics
- Start of the 2019 Tour de France in Brussels in honour of Eddy Merckx
- From 2023, the Vélo d'Or "Eddy Merckx trophy" is awarded for the best classics cyclist
Books About Eddy Merckx
In English
- The Champion Eddy Merckx by Claude le Boul in 1987, Ludion, 71 p.
- Eddy Merckx: The Greatest Cyclist of the 20th Century by Rik Vanwalleghem and Steven Hawkins in 1996, VeloPress, 216 p. ISBN: 9781884737725
- Eddy Merckx 525 by Frederik Backelandt & Karl Vannieuwkerke in 2012, Kannibaal, 224 p. ISBN: 9781934030899
- Merckx 69: Celebrating the World's Greatest Cyclist in his Finest Year by Tonny Strouken and Jan Maes in 2015, Bloomsbury Publishing 180 p. ISBN: 9781472910646
- The Dream of Eddy Merckx by Freddy Merckx in 2019, Sportliteratuur Uitgeverij, 56 p. ISBN: 9781513646121
- De Rivals of Merckx by Filip Osselaer in 2019, Borgerhoff & Lamberigts, 208 p. ISBN: 9789089319852
- 1969 – The Year of Eddy Merckx by Johny Vansevenant in 2019, Lannoo, 432 p. ISBN: 9789401462860
Images for kids
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Merckx (pictured during at 1969 Six Days of Milan) was involved in three separate incidents during his career where his race results were affected by rule violations.
In Spanish: Eddy Merckx para niños
- Cycling records
- Yellow jersey statistics
- Pink jersey statistics
- List of foreign recipients of the Légion d'Honneur
- List of Giro d'Italia general classification winners
- List of Grand Tour general classification winners
- List of noble families in Belgium
- List of Tour de France general classification winners
- List of Tour de France secondary classification winners
- List of Vuelta a España general classification winners
- List of Vuelta a España classification winners
