Coffee-table Cannibal
Eddy Merckx came into this world in June of 1945, born into a blue collar Belgium family struggling along with the rest of Europe to rebuild after the end of World War II.
The boy born of such meager surroundings would soon become one of the most feared, two-wheel shorn demons to ever grace the peloton - his given nickname, the Cannibal, as aptly fitting as any provided to a dominating creature in any sport.
"Merckx 525," from VeloPress, is a 224-page, coffee table book with 126 photographs. The pictures range from a shot of Merckx on his first bicycle to those capturing the excitement, anguish and pain of his many conquests on the world stage as well as his personal life away from wheels and gears.
At age 16, Merckx would win 23 times as an amateur in 1962, and the country of Belgium had a budding star on its hands.
The young cyclist was starting to reserve his spot at the top of the podium when he garnered his first far-reaching notoriety by capturing the 1964 Amateur World Championship. He beat a stout field of 134 riders at Sallanches, France, blowing past the leaders in the waning laps and holding off the masses by 20 seconds to become a national hero.
Of this triumph, the book describes his accomplishment: "His first great achievement is worth framing. He has earned his world title in a way he later makes his own, by wearing down opposition, by breaking away at the drop of a hat and so achieving a strong selection, and finally by going at it hammer and tongs again."
Merckx, a cycling animal, was now well on his way to becoming the Cannibal. He had an uncanny ability to devour fellow competitors, no matter what their strengths and weaknesses, and cross the line in front.
Like all great athletes, Eddy was inspired by his momentum, and turned pro in 1965, with little fanfare. A win at the 1966 Milan-San Remo boosted his notoriety, as he sprinted past challengers to an exciting win. Merckx backed up his stature with a win in the 1967 World Championships in Heerlen, Netherlands, where he again fended off his competition in a sprint finish.
Merckx went on to capture his first Tour de France in July of 1969, the first of 5 overall wins in cycling's Super Bowl (or professional football's Tour de France, depending on how you want to look at it).
In all, Merckx won an astounding 525 races, branding him the poster boy of cycling worldwide for decades. The book breaks down his wins by years, with photos to provide a chronological view of what it was like to be the focus of the circus which is European professional cycling.
Eddy hung up his racing bike for good in 1978, after an incredible 18 years at the front of the peloton.
Comparisons to Merckx from other sports are hard to nail down. Eddy arrived on the national scene when advances in bicycle racing were calm compared to the leaps and bounds brought forth in the waning years of his career. Thusly, Merckx relied on his legs and heart to dominate on the world stage like arguably no other athlete could in that time period.
Download a preview of Merckx 525 at http://velopress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/sample_M525.pdf