Eddy Merckx: The Cannibal

Despite his unique achievements, we know little about the Cannibal beyond his victories—here is his full story

For 14 years between 1965 and 1978, Edouard Louis Joseph Merckx devoured his rivals, their hopes, and their careers. His legacy resides as much in the careers he ruined as the 445 victories—including five Tour de France wins and all the monument races—he amassed in his own right. So dominant had Merckx become by 1973 that he was ordered to stay away from the Tour for the good of th...