Eddy Merckx
Regarded by many as the greatest cyclist of all time, the Belgian was nicknamed the cannibal due to his desire to win every race he participated in.
His list of victories overshadows virtually every other cyclist. It makes very impressive reading:
World champion 3 times
Tour de France overall win - 5 times (including 34 stage wins)
Giro d'Italia overall win - 5 times (including 24 stage wins)
Vuelta a España overall win - 1 time (including 6 stage wins)
Milan-Sanremo - 7 wins
Liège-Bastogne-Liège - 5 wins
Paris-Roubaix - 3 wins
La Flèche Wallonne - 3 wins
Giro di Lombardia - 2 wins
Ronde van Vlaanderen - 2 wins
Amstel Gold Race - 2 wins
Eddy turned professional in 1965 with the Peugeot Cycling Team, having been world amateur champion. A year later, he won his first Milan-Sanremo, and followed this with his first world championship a year after, aged just 22.
The conquests he has made are also remarkable. He is the only rider ever to win The King of the Mountains, yellow and points in his Tour de France debut, the only rider ever to do that, regardless whether on debut or not. He was just 24, and would have won the white young riders jersey had it been awarded then.
He also many other records for pro cyclists: he has the record for most career victories (525), most in one season (54) and most victories in the cycle classic races (28). He also set the hour record in 1972, a feat which was only beaten 12 years later, in 1984 by Francesco Moser - this having raced a full season racing the Tour and Giro.
He did the Tour and Giro double (winning both) three times (1970, 1972, 1974), and the Giro and Vuelta double once in 1973
He still holds the record for stage wins and number of days in the yellow jersey (96) in the Tour de France.
To put it simply, he is probably the greatest cyclist ever. He didn't just focus on riding one race per year (like Lance Armstrong), he aimed to win throughout the year, racing a full season - and not only did he do that, he won most of the time too.
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Fausto Coppi
Fausto Coppi (September 15, 1919 – January 2, 1960) was an Italian cyclist who has won the Giro d'Italia 5 times (the most along with Eddy Merckx and Alfredo Binda), and the Tour de France twice.
He took his first Giro d'Italia win in 1940 at the age of 20. The Second World War interrupted his career, which many say prevented him from achieving greater heights to his career. He was the first rider to win the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in the same year, doing it twice in 1949 and 1952.
However, at the age of 40, Coppi caught malaria, and was diagnosed to late, dying on January 2, 1960, in a hospital in Tortona.
Coppi is often declared as the greatest cyclist of all time. He beat cyclists during a Golden Age of cycling, against great opponents, unlike other winners such as Lance Armstong who often raced distinctly inferior riders. Not only that but, according to Tour historian Pierre Chany, that from 1946 to 1954, when Coppi had attacked the peloton, he was never caught by his pursuers. On hearing this, Eddy Merckx, another candidate for greatest cyclist of all time, commented, "In that case, perhaps he really was better than me."
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Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong is a retired American cyclist, who won the Tour de France 7 consecutive times, from 1999 to 2005, the most by any rider. Prior to this, he overcame testicular cancer to continue his cycling career. He is now recognised for his charity work. He has now come out of retirement to raise awareness of cancer, and will ride for free as he goes for another Tour de France
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Mads Kaggestad
Mads Kaggestad is a Norwegian cyclist, and is often claimed (by our forum members) to be the worst cyclist in the ProTour in 2007
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Mario Cipollini
Mario Cipollini was born March 22, 1967 in Lucca, Tuscany. The Italian sprinter retired in 2005 whilst riding for Liquigas, however he is staging a come-back and will ride for Rock Racing in the 2008 season.
The Lion King, as he was branded, totalled up 191 victories in his career betweeen 1989 and 2005. 42 of those wins came in the Giro d'Italia, a record number of stage wins in that race. He also won 13 stages of the Tour de France, 3 stages of the Vuelta a España, Ghent - Wevelgem 3 times (record) and the World Road Race Championships once, in 2002.
At his peak, Cipollini had no rivals, if he was on form no-one would stop him winning. He was also a very controversial rider, who never ceased to break rules and annoy people. He became famous for his clothing. Some of his most famous cycling kits were the muscle suit, zebra print suit, tiger print suit, and a techno-skinsuit. He was once fined for wearing an all yellow outfit whilst leading the Tour de France. These antics made him a lot of fans, unfortunately these antics were all against UCI regulations and him and his team were fined a lot of money.
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Tom Simpson
Tom Simpson (30 November 1937 - 13 July 1967) was a British cyclist who died during the 13th stage of the 1967 Tour de France up the slopes of Mont Ventoux. Tom took amphetamines and alcohol, and combined with the hot conditions and tough slopes, he died due to exhaustion. He was also World RR Champion in 1965
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