Question 1

True or false: Eddy Merckx holds the record for the most career victories with over 500 professional wins.

Accepted Answer

True. Merckx’s official tally is 525 professional wins, including 11 Grand Tours, making him the most successful cyclist ever.

Question 2

True or false: Merckx was nicknamed 'The Cannibal' because he once ate an entire baguette mid-race.

Accepted Answer

False. The nickname comes from his insatiable appetite for winning, not actual food. He devoured opponents, not bread, during races.

Question 3

True or false: Eddy Merckx designed his own line of bicycles that are still sold today.

Accepted Answer

True. Merckx founded Eddy Merckx Cycles in 1980, and the brand still produces high-end road bikes, though it’s now owned by another company.

Question 4

True or false: Merckx once won a race despite crashing and breaking his collarbone mid-stage.

Accepted Answer

True. At the 1975 Tour de France, Merckx broke his jaw in a crash but finished the stage and kept the yellow jersey for several days.

Question 5

True or false: Merckx never competed in the Olympic Games because he turned professional early.

Accepted Answer

False. He actually raced in the 1964 Olympics, finishing 12th in the road race, but turned pro shortly after, missing later Games.

Question 6

True or false: The hour record set by Merckx in 1972 stood for over a decade before being broken.

Accepted Answer

True. Merckx set the hour record at 49.431 km in Mexico City in 1972. It lasted until Francesco Moser broke it in 1984.

Question 7

True or false: Merckx never won a stage of the Tour de France in his final year as a pro.

Accepted Answer

False. In his last season, 1977, Merckx actually won a stage of the Tour de France, his 34th stage victory, before retiring.

Question 8

True or false: Eddy Merckx won all three Grand Tours and all five Monuments in the same calendar year.

Accepted Answer

False. No rider has ever won all three Grand Tours and all five Monuments in one year. Merckx came closest but never achieved this impossible feat.

Eddy Merckx Trivia Questions