The greatest Eddy Merckx (Bel) "The Cannibal" was the last rider to date to have won the Giro D' Italia 5 times in 1968; 1970; 1972; 1973 & 1974
Eddy Merckx gives praise to Alejandro Valverde: "He is the cyclist who has most resembled me"
CyclingThursday, 18 May 2023 at 22:00
For Eddy Merckx, possibly the best cyclist in history to give you any kind of compliment is something priceless. But for him to directly say that you are the rider most similar to him is something of incalculable value, and that is what has happened to Alejandro Valverde.
The former Movistar Team rider received praise from the Belgian legend, who assures that he was very happy when he won the rainbow jersey in 2019 and that he misses more cyclists like him in the current peloton: "I was happy when Valverde won the World Championship because he deserved it. He may be the one who has been the most similar to me because he ran all year and in all the tests. Today's cycling would need more Valverde's."
Thus, the five-time winner of the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France explains what made him special. What made him become the cyclist with the most wins in history. The secret was simply to go for it.
And that is precisely what made Valverde seem like Merckx, since as the Murcian himself commented in statements collected by his colleagues from Diario del Trialtón, his objective in each race he ran was always the same: "I have always gone out to win and enjoy. I like to win at everything. Even at cards."
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