WHEN EDDY MERCKX BECAME THE CANNIBAL
When Eddy Merckx lined up for his first Tour de France on June 28, 1969, the 24-year-old had already won his first of five Giros, two Paris-nice titles, three Milan-san Remo triumphs, the first of five Liège-bastogne-liège trophies, and a road world championship.
Throughout the next three weeks, he utterly dominated the Tour, claiming the overall, points and climber’s titles, plus six stage wins. Had it existed, he would have won the white jersey for best young rider, too. “That Belgian guy, he doesn’t even leave you the crumbs. He’s a real cannibal:” these are the words attributed to the daughter of Christian Raymond, a Faema teammate, that led to Merckx’s nickname.
Merckx took the first of his five titles by 17:54 over 1967 yellow jersey winner, Roger Pingeon. But it was Stage 17 that would define his supremacy. Though comfortably in the lead, Merckx risked blowing up and losing the Tour when he attacked over the top of the Tourmalet. Some say he was upset over a teammate’s recent announcement of switching squads and burst away from him in the final kilometre of the Tourmalet. Riding solo for 140 km over the Soulor and the Aubisque and then into Mourenx, he told his team director, Guillaume Driessens, with 15 km to go, “I’m dead. I don’t think I’ll be able to finish.” Driessens replied, “The others behind are more dead than you are!” Merckx finished the stage nearly eight minutes ahead of the day’s runner-up.
One of the amazing things about Merckx’s imperious 1969 performance is that it was the last time he was at his physical peak. In September of that year at the Pierre Tessier velodrome in Blois, Merckx was competing in a derny race with pacer Fernand Wambst when they got caught in a crash. Wambst died from his injuries and Merckx suffered head, pelvis and spinal injuries. From then on, he rode in chronic pain, constantly adjusting his saddle. He claimed he was never the same rider. “I was never as strong again in the mountains,” he said. “Without the crash, I could have won more Tours.”
“WITHOUT THE CRASH, I COULD HAVE WON MORE TOURS."