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Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Eddy Merckx

Eddy Merckx is regarded by many to be the best cyclist of all time. His tenacity and refusal to relinquish his own chance to win earned him the nickname, “The Cannibal”. Merckx is one of only five riders to win the Tour de France five times. He only competed in seven installments of the Tour de France to win such an incredible number of them, and also finished second once for a total of six podium appearances.

Merckx, a Belgian rider, was born 1945. He started competing 16 years later, and participated in the Olympic Games in 1964 before turning professional a year later. Merckx was a talented mountain rider, winning the Tour de France mountains classification twice as well. Merckx holds many cycling records, including the most stage wins at the Tour de France, of which he had 34.

Merckx made his first Tour de France appearance in 1969, and he wasted no time in turning the cycling world on its ear. Merckx became the first cyclist to ever win all three jerseys available by winning the yellow (overall leader), green (best sprinter) and polka dot (best climber) jerseys. He would have won the white jersey (best cyclist 25 years old and younger) if it had existed at the time.

Unfortunately, Merckx was in a terrible accident in a derny race which resulted in a cracked vertebra and twisted pelvis. Although Merckx would go on to have even more success, he also acknowledged that the injury would go on to affect him permanently, as he was in near constant pain whenever he raced, especially while climbing.

Despite the setback, Merckx followed up his 1969 win with a dominant performance in the 1970 Tour de France. Merckx won a record-tying 8 stages while winning the race and the mountains classification. He also finished second in the sprinter’s classification, solidifying his reputation as a brilliant all-around cyclist. Many wondered who, if anyone, could challenge the dominance of Merckx.

In 1971, Luis Oca?a answered that question by presenting a huge challenge to Merckx. Oca?a took the yellow jersey and held it until a crash sadly forced him to withdraw from the race. As a result, Merckx was able to take the lead and win the race for his third straight Tour de France victory. The next year, Oca?a was sick and could not race, so Merckx won his fourth Tour de France.

Then, the inexplicable happened. Merckx was actually encouraged by Tour de France officials to not participate in the 1973 Tour de France due to worries of hostilities by French fans. Merckx was approaching Jacques Anquetil’s then-record of five wins, and many French fans didn’t want to see that happen. Incredibly, Merckx complied and did not compete.

Merckx did compete in, and win, the 1974 Tour de France to equal Anquetil’s record of five wins. However, when he attempted to win a sixth Tour de France in 1975, he was punched by a French fan after having led for eight days. A later crash with Ole Ritter left him with a broken jaw, and Merckx finished the race only to finish second.

Merckx didn’t enter the 1976 Tour de France, and finished in sixth place in his final Tour de France appearance, in 1977. In 1978, Eddy Merckx retired after an absolutely superlative career. He retired with the most total victories by a cyclist in a career as well as in a season, so his success wasn’t limited to just the Tour de France. Still, his performances and his wins in the Tour de France are what many fans will remember Merckx more for.

Even though Merckx almost definitely could have won more installments of the Tour de France than he did, his career stands as the standard of excellence in cycling that other greats have struggled mightily to reach. While other riders may have met the standard that Merckx set, it’s doubtful that anyone will ever exceed it.

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Cyclists of the Tour de France: Greg LeMond

Greg LeMond was the first American to ever win the Tour de France, and went on to win it a total of three times. An outspoken critic of performance enhancing drugs and doping both during his career and afterwards, he was slowed during much of his prime by poor luck and injuries. He competed in six installments of the Tour de France in his impressive career.

LeMond was born in Lakewood, California, and had success in his teens before being selected as part of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Cycling team. He did not attend, however, nor did any of the American athletes that year, and the following year he turned professional. He would compete in his first Tour de France in 1984.

His Tour de France debut was a successful one, finishing third and winning the white jersey as the best rider aged 25 years and younger. LeMond was the first American to ever stand on the podium, but he was not done writing American cycling history.

The next year, LeMond was no longer an unknown commodity, and he finished second in the 1985 Tour de France to teammate Bernard Hinault. Only 1 minute and 42 seconds behind Hinault at the finish, LeMond would go on to say that he could have won the race and essentially gave it away to Hinault. Hinault said that he would return the favor and support LeMond the next year, and repeated the promise many times before the 1986 Tour de France.

The 1986 Tour de France had its share of drama, though. Hinault rode rather aggressively throughout the race, claiming that he was wearing down the opposition for LeMond, even if it sometimes appeared that he was trying to secure the win for himself. By the end, Hinault did relinquish the yellow jersey, though he won two late stages while finishing second to LeMond. LeMond made history as the first American cyclist to ever win the Tour de France, and appeared to be primed to win again the next year.

However, fate intervened in a most unfortunate and unpredictable way. While turkey hunting with his brother-in-law, LeMond was shot in the back and seriously injured. As a result, LeMond was unable to compete in the Tour de France in 1987 and 1988. During that time, LeMond also underwent surgery for tendinitis and appendicitis in his leg. This incredibly disastrous series of events led to LeMond’s return to the Tour de France in 1989, and one of the great races of all time.

LeMond only expected to finish respectably in the 1989 Tour de France, but late in the race he found himself in second place by less than a minute to two-time champion Laurent Fignon. This set the stage for a showdown in the final time trial, which LeMond would win by 58 seconds, giving him an overall win by just 8 seconds over Fignon. It was the closest finish in Tour de France history, and the competitiveness of the race along with the tremendous story of LeMond’s return brought great attention to the sport.

In 1990, LeMond would win his last Tour de France, amazingly doing so without winning a single individual stage. Only a few riders, including LeMond, have ever accomplished such a feat. He got off to a poor start, at one point being over ten minutes behind, before slowly gaining on the leaders by consistently riding hard through each subsequent stage.

After his final Tour de France win, LeMond continued to race competitively for a few years before retiring in 1994. He competed in his last Tour de France in 1991, wearing the yellow jersey for 6 days en route to finishing 7th overall.

Since LeMond’s retirement, American cyclists such as Lance Armstrong have continued to represent the United States at the Tour de France, but LeMond will always be the one who first carried American cyclists to the top of the cycling world.

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