Go for victorious steel
LIEGE75
Liège-Bastogne-Liège is the oldest and most respected of
all one-day classics. That is why it is lovingly called La Doyenne, which
simply means ‘the oldest’. The first edition dates back to 1892 and
even then, the riders braved the legendary hills of La Redoute, the
Stockeu and the Côte de Wanne. Its roll of honour reads like a who’s
who of cycling: Ferdi Kübler (1951, 1952), Bernard Hinault (1977,
The Classic of Classics
for Athletes of Steel
1980), Sean Kelly (1984, 1989), Michele Bartoli (1997, 1998), Paolo
Bettini (2000, 2002), Alejandro Valverde (2006, 2008, 2015), Moreno
Argentin (1985, 1986, 1987, 1991). The biggest athletes win the race
at least twice. Merckx wins Liège-Bastogne-Liège five
times, including three consecutive victories (1969,
1971, 1972, 1973, 1975). Merckx achieves what no one has done
before and sets a record for the ages.
BELGIUM
Liège
‘Liège-Bastogne-Liège
is my favourite race.
Beautiful scenery,
appealing climbs,
excellent roads and
luck doesn’t enter into
it. The strongest rider
always wins here.’
Caught on la Redoute
Eddy Merckx is 29 and lines up at the starting line of his fifth
Doyenne in the rainbow jersey. He will be riding the 61st edition of
Liège-Bastogne-Liège on a bicycle in the legendary brown & black
of the Molteni team. Merckx is in the most prolific period of his
career, winning each of the big three stage races and the major oneday classics at least once. Between 1971 and 1975 Merckx
accumulates 180 race days and spends every waking
hour on his bike. Also at the starting line in Liège: Freddy
Maertens, Luis Ocaña, Walter Godefroot, Bernard Thévenet, Frans
Verbeeck, Hennie Kuiper, Roger De Vlaeminck, Gerrie Knetemann,
Raymond Poulidor, Joop Zoetemelk and Dietrich Thurau. Tough
competitors to a man, but the journalists already have the name
of the winner written down. One journalist is quoted as saying:
‘Merckx should race in a category all his own. He
is hors concours’.
The other riders are not optimistic about their
chances: ‘He’ll grind us into the dust.
He’s on top form. He is unbeatable’.
And they are right, too: of the 145 riders lined
up on 20 April 1975, just 42 go the distance.
The last cluster of riders cross the finish line 21
minutes behind Merckx. Germany’s new
hope Dietrich Thurau opts for a surprise attack.
He is the first to throw down the gauntlet. Still,
his attack is somewhat premature because just
22 km later, on La Redoute, Merckx catches the
young German. And then the gloves come off.
Eddy Merckx knows he has to get rid of several
fast sprinters, including Roger De Vlaeminck, as
soon as possible. Despite five all-out breakaway
attempts his adversaries refuse to give in.
A no-holds-barred battle ensues between these
top riders, each one a potential winner. As a result,
the final of the 1975 edition looks to be an exact
copy of the 1974 world championship race. Just
like in Montreal, French rider Bernard Thévenet
launches a solo breakaway. With the finish line
almost in sight, the TV commentators shout into
their microphones: ‘It’s got to be now! And
fast!’ Thévenet pounds the pedals like a man
possessed but when he glances back, he sees
Merckx’s rainbow jersey gaining on
him. After the race, the Frenchmen tells the
journalists: ‘Mon dieu’, I thought, ‘surely not? He’s
doing it again!’.
He does it again
100 out of 100
With Merckx now in full flow, he eats up the distance
separating him from the Frenchman. Just before he
catches Thévenet, he briefly slows down to recuperate. Then comes the final jump. Just before
the finish line, Walter Godefroot briefly pops up,
seemingly out of nowhere, but Merckx won’t be
denied. His fifth victory in Liège-Bastogne-Liège
once again confirms his total supremacy. After
Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the admiration of cycling
fans worldwide soars to new heights. One sports
newspaper asks the top riders to score each
other. Without a moment’s hesitation and based
on his overall performance that year, Roger de
Vlaeminck, Walter Godefroot, Freddy Maertens
and other top athletes award Merckx the perfect
score: 100 out of 100.
Eddy Merckx
BEL 6h27’00” (av.sp. 38,250 km/h)
photo credits: Tonny Strouken
Bernard Thévenet + 0’02”
Walter Godefroot at same time
Frans Verbeeck +0’15”
André Dierickx at same time
Gerrie Knetemann at same time
Jean-Pierre Danguillaume at same time
Roger De Vlaeminck at same time
Christian Seznec at same time
Wladimiro Panizza at same time