Eddy Merckx, born June 17, 1945 in Belgium, is widely considered one of the greatest cyclists of all time. When you hear Merckx, you think of triumphs, perseverance and dominance on the bike. Merckx's career consists of impressive feats. He won no less than 525 professional races, including five times the Tour de France, five times the Giro d'Italia and once the Vuelta a España. He also has three world championships, a multitude of classics and monuments under his belt.
Merckx distinguished himself with not only his tremendous physical strength and endurance, but also his strong determination and competitive mindset. He excelled both in time trials and mountain stages making him a formidable opponent in every race.
To honor his legacy, we have released a special Eddy Merckx collection consisting of all the teams Eddy rode for during his professional career.
Solo Superia 1965
Eddy Merckx made his professional debut with the Solo Superia team in 1965. Solo Superia is a former Belgian professional cycling team, which was active from 1964-1966. The most famous rider of this team was Rik van Looy. Belgian champion Rik achieved many victories for Solo Superia including Paris-Roubaix in 1965, 8 stages in the Vuelta (and a second place) and two stages in the Tour de France. Eddy was already very fanatical back then and also managed to beat Rik van Looy during Paris-Luxembourg. Eventually the rivalry became too much and Merckx left Solo Superia.
Peugeot 1966-1967
After Solo Superia, Eddy ended up at Peugeot. It was with this team that Eddy Merckx's potential really came to light. In 1810, weaver Jean-Pierre Peugeot started the Peugeot factory with his sons. Starting in 1882, they also made bicycles under the name Cycles Peugeot. They were early sponsors of cycling. For example, in 1896 Peugeot supported Paul Bourillon, who became world sprint champion in Copenhagen on a Peugeot bicycle. Until 1986, Peugeot was active in cycling and the team is considered one of the most successful sponsors of professional cycling. Eddy Merckx achieved a number of victories during his time at Peugeot, including; Gent-Wevelgem, stage Paris-Nice and a stage during the Giro d'Italia. Merckx has always been grateful for his years at Peugeot and his friendly teammates.
Faema 1968-1970
The Faema cycling team - active from 1955 to 1969 officially had Italian origins, but consisted mainly of Spanish and Belgian riders. In 1962 and 1963 the Faema and Flandria teams were merged, but in 1964 Faema withdrew from sponsoring the team. Yet Faema came back again 1968, with success. In 1968, Eddy Merckx joined the peloton. During his time with Faema, Merckx achieved great successes. For example, he won the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia twice. He also won races such as Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Molteni 1971-1976
Molteni was a former Italian cycling team, active from 1958 until the end of 1976. Molteni was a salami producer based in the town of Arcore, in the region of Milan. The team won as many as 663 stages, and many of these stage wins are credited to Molteni's most famous cyclist: Eddy Merckx. He won both the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia five times. During the 1971-1976 period, the Molteni team was built around its leader Eddy Merckx. This Merckx period, the team consisted of a mix of Belgian and Italian riders.
Fiat 1977
Sausage maker Molteni stopped sponsoring in 1976 and Merckx had to look for a new sponsor and ended up with Italian car manufacturer Fiat. Merckx surrounded himself in the Fiat cycling team with a large number of fellow countrymen and two French riders. The peak of his career was already over. On the advice of sport director Geminiani, Merckx rode a light program in 1977 in preparation for the Tour. He won the Tour de Mediterranee but did not start the Tour as a favorite. Favorites for the 1977 Tour were Lucien Van Impe (winner in 1976), Bernard Thevenet and Joop Zoetemelk. Merckx finished third in the prologue and his team won the team time trial. Merckx struggled with stomach problems and lost a lot of time, but still won a stage after two riders were disqualified for doping. Thus he proved he could be great even in losses. Merckx finished gloriously sixth despite the setbacks.
C&A 1978
The last team Eddy Merckx competed for was the Belgian cycling team C&A. The C&A cycling team was set up and decorated especially for Eddy Merckx. At the time, Eddy was over the peak of his career, but still a sponsor magnet. Therefore, C&A wanted to enter a cycling team only with Eddy on board. The team was partly a continuation of the Fiat France cycling team, which had dropped out. In addition to Eddy, five other Belgian cyclists came from the Fiat team. There was also a rich complement of several experienced Belgian riders and new talents. Eddy was past his prime after many years at the top. It was therefore difficult for him to go full steam ahead. On March 19, 1978 Merckx rode his last official cycling race in Kemzeke in the Omloop van het Waasland. After this, Eddy briefly became team leader of the C&A cycling team.
6 equipes, 1 cannibale
To honor Eddy, and all he meant to cycling, we have designed a special cycling jersey. "6 equipes, 1 cannibale" contains all the cycling jerseys of the teams Eddy Merckx rode for.
Are you, like us, a big fan of cycling? Then be sure to keep an eye on our blog. We regularly post new stories about cycling facts, remarkable events and updates of our product range which are definitely worth reading!