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Book Re-Review: Eddy Merckx The Cannibal
Eddy Merckx, The Cannibal by Daniel FriebeHaving reviewed Eddy Merckx The Cannibal soon after publication a decade ago, its been back on this summers reading list in the light of Tadej Pogaars results and frequent comparisons to Eddy Merckx. Plus its Merckxs birthday today, 79 years old..With Tadej Pogaar racking up wins and often by a comfortable margin there are inevitable comparisons with Eddy Merckx, the reference point in the sport. These are often quantitative comparisons, such as the first rider to do this-or-that since Merckx, the biggest winning margin since Merckx, a plethora of what sports fans call statistics and what statisticians often call anecdotes.Whats enjoyable with this book is that theres so much on the qualitative side, its full of tales and not numbers. Yes Merckx wins often, he wins big and he really hates losing. Here its the stories and even the psychology that makes it an entertaining and informative read. As an example one of Merckxs masterpieces was the the stage from Luchon to Mourenx in the 1969 Tour de France, he won it by almost eight minutes but Raymond Riotte put it better, he was in the shower and we still had 15 kilometres to ride which says more than the actual eight minute winning margin that day.The author didnt interview Merckx a blessing writes the Friebe but instead spoke many of his challengers and plenty who got crushed at the time, seeing their income drying up but are nowadays happy with their lot. Because of the many voices its a useful corrective. To reprise the Mourenx win again, Merckx often says he attacked because he heard his team mate Martin Van Den Bossche was leaving the squad and he didnt like this act of disloyalty and, so in a fit of pique, chased down Van Den Bossche on the Tourmalet and then he kept going to the famous win:Wed learned the evening before that he was going to join the Molteni team, that was a hard thing to take, a disappointment because he could have waited for another moment. it was to deny him the points for the mountains competition that I attacked on the Tourmalet, before finding myself alone at the front LEquipe special edition Impera-Tour, June 2024But Van Den Bossche is interviewed here and says Merckx did not know about the contract for the following year and was just being Merckx in trying to win everything going. Who is right? Thats not clear but Merckx is able to give his version events more often than the others, the winners get others to write their history.The book touches on Merckxs popularity. When the first lunar landings were happening Merckx was regularly sharing the front page with the Apollo module or Messrs Armstrong and Aldrin. Fans would leap over fences to get into his garden and steal his jerseys drying on the washing line.Rivalries and challengers abound. Merckx won plenty but others were able to find opportunities. Whats interesting is how Merckxs arrival on the scene and some of his wild moves at the start set the scene for years to come. Even Merckx later admits some of his long range attacks were reckless but with hindsight these cowed the others who saw him as near-unbeatable so they often didnt try when it could have worked from time to time to challenge him directly.Today the lack of rivalry is remarkable, to the point where its invisible. Framed against the tales in this book its arguably the big contrast between now and then. Yes Merckx is wearing a wool jersey and pulling chicken legs out of his musette as race food while today its lycra racesuits and gels. But its the personal clashes that stand out from the past era.Pogaar may be the master of so much but Jonas Vingegaard has beaten him twice in the Tour de France. Yet theres little rivalry between the two, just exchanges of polite words at the foot of the podium truck and talk of respect. Which is pleasant and good for them but it may not make for a sizzling read in decades to come. Similarly Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel are arch rivals on the road and probably would not go on holiday together but its hardly Merckx vs. Rik van Looy or Roger Roger De Vlaeminck and the book puts it all in stark relief.The VerdictEnjoyable a second time over, although it pays to sit down and read one chapter at a time rather than do more in a sitting so as not to be overwhelmed by the list of triumphs. There are other books to enjoy, William Fotheringhams biography the other choice in English; in French theres Merckxs own Mes Carnets Routes diary, or Philippe Brunels biography and more. They surely all suggest that Merckxs domination was near-absolute, both in terms of results but also the mentality and the way he imposed himself on the sport.The recent Giro did see Pogaar run off with the race and hes been doing this in other races like Strade Bianche and the Volta a Catalunya; yet Merckx did throughout the season, for many years and often infuriating his rivals. Pogaar hopefully wont have it so easy this July.More books to read at inrng.com/booksThe post Book Re-Review: Eddy Merckx The Cannibal first appeared on The Inner Ring.
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