Eddy Merckx: The Greatest Cyclist of the 20th Century [Paperback]

Rik Vanwalleghem (Author), Steve Hawkins (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2000

Combing through years of cycling literature and press archives, and seeking out friends, rivals, and the man himself, the author pieces together the disparate elements of Eddy Merckx's life. Cycling icons recollect Merckx's Tour de France victories, World Hour Record, doping scandal of 1969, and physical setbacks.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Dutch

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: VeloPress (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1884737722
• ISBN-13: 978-1884737725
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,377,097 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Eddy Merckx: The Dullest Cyclist of the 20th Century?, June 29, 2001

By 

Leslie Reissner "Sprocketboy" (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Eddy Merckx: The Greatest Cyclist of the 20th Century (Paperback)

Don't get me wrong: in cycling terms, Eddy Merckx is and will be the greatest rider who ever lived (Jeannie Longo another candidate, arguably). It is impossible to imagine anyone else being able to win 30% of the races he entered in a sport where just finishing is often a big deal, let alone owning the yellow, green and polka dot jerseys at the end of a single Tour de France. Eddy Merckx was a prodigious talent but, judging from this book, an astonishingly dull person. The author concentrates on Merckx the man rather than the racer and we find a lower-middle class Belgian with no schooling, no outside interests and a tendency towards complete silence. At the end of this poorly-structured and repetitive book, we feel nothing about the great dramas of the Cannibal's sporting life, his motivitations, his training methods. It seems he got on his bike, won the race and got off. Nothing heroic about any of this yet Merckx rode some of the most dramatic bike races ever.

The definitive Merckx book remains to be written. Save your money until then.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Muddled Merckx, November 5, 2006

By 

Keith Manning "Keith" (Alpharetta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eddy Merckx: The Greatest Cyclist of the 20th Century (Paperback)

This is not the greatest biography of any century. Its theme is stated in the introduction and then repeated on almost every page. You can extract some useful information and perspective - but it is not easy or fun.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants more information on Merckx than can easily be found on the Internet. However, I would recommend skimming or speed reading to find what you want and not bothering to read from cover to cover.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Subject-FASCINATING, Author-AWEFUL, June 28, 2002

By 

M. Leger (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eddy Merckx: The Greatest Cyclist of the 20th Century (Paperback)

Total agreement with the first 4 reviewers. Van Welleghem should not be writing, and if he has an editor, the editor should find another occupation. Eddy Mercxx was an idol of mine as a teenager, and still inspires my riding and racing today, several decades later. Unfortunately, this book is very poorly written--utterly repetitious, without inspiration or insight--it's making a fascinating subject a chore to explore.