Riding with Eddy Merckx - the GOAT
Eddy Merckx… The GOAT. Where do I start?
I found myself climbing through the vineyards of Champagne side by side with Eddy, who, like me, is a man of few words. Neither of us felt the need to make small talk to fill the silence. Instead, we were both content to ride. Introverted people know when words are irrelevant and aren’t afraid to simply just enjoy the company. The sensation of climbing transfixed Eddy. His presence transfixed me.
David Millar once described cycling to me as “A team sport for loners.” Those words stay with me.
Eddy is 76 years old, but when he rides - he reveals a hint of the racer from the 60's/70's. His head cocks slightly to one side while sweat beads down his face and hangs off his nose.
Image: OFS
Anyway, I was riding with Eddy in a transcendent state, thinking,
“Wow... everything I have worked hard for my entire life has led to this moment - to ride alongside the greatest cyclist of all time.”
Everything was happening in slow motion - a fearful sense of tranquillity is the only way I can begin to articulate this sensation.
Greg LeMond once said, "It never gets easier; you just go faster." Although, of course, Eddy might be going slower than his former self (the 11x Grand Tour winner, Monument master, 3x World Champion and Hour Record holder), though his effort and his ability to suffer remain the same. Age catches up with us all, so Greg, you could have stopped at “It never gets easier.”
Watching Eddy climb this hill in Champillon was no less inspiring than the hours of footage I have watched of his past performances. But, if anything, this was more inspiring - as I was witnessing it first hand, and this confirmed that If I make it to 76, I still want to be riding my bike as Eddy does with Jos De Schoenmaecker and his other old teammates.
“Eddy is cycling. he is the epitome of the sport. Everyone’s got a story about
him. He is the greatest, most stylish, the benchmark for the Hour record,
how to conduct yourself.””
Then my friend Johan Museeuw pulls up behind us with the gang and shouts, "Coach!" and before I knew it, I was riding with the Cannibal and the Lion of Flanders. Of course, this bought a smile to Eddy's face, and we (Adam Blythe, Chris Lillywhite, Monica Dew, Liam Yates, and our guests) rode as a group to our hotel - fiercely proud to have Eddy beside us.
Words became relevant once more, in the form of a post-ride debrief, as every cyclist does at the cafe, beer garden, or in our case - the Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa. Nothing about this trip was ordinary, yet the whole experience had a sense of familiarity as we are all cyclists.
Johan still calls Eddy “Coach” because he coached Johan to win the 1996 World Championships in Lugano. Eddy told Johan to lift his saddle 2mm - and he would win. If Eddy gives you advice - you take it. For example, Eddy once told Sean Yates:
“‘Sean, you need to ride 180mm cranks.’ So I switched. I’m still using them.”
Eddy famously tinkers with his saddle. Before we set off, he was fettling away. His advice to Johan is typical ‘Eddy’.
I took my dad out to Champagne with us. I couldn’t live with myself if I were out here with Eddy while he was sat at home.
Here’s Eddy signing a postcard for my dad at the Eastway Circuit, Lee Valley in 1981. Dad thought that was a 'pinch-me moment' - little did he know that 40-years later, he’d be spending the whole weekend with him. Seeing his face light up in Eddy's company was like seeing a kid in a candy store - or a bonked rider in a petrol station.
Thanks to my new friend Frederik Backelandt for this beautiful edition of Grinta! Titanen
Thanks, Eddy… for this weekend and everything you have done and continue to do for cycling. See you next time.
Another legendary LeBlanq weekend…