"It is abnormal that people still remember me after all these years" - Eddy Merckx gets a special birthday present from Belgian king
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Eddy Merckx was once again in his life granted the privilege of visiting the Belgian Royal Palace - something most mortals can only dream of. A week before Merckx's 80th anniversary, the man once referred to as 'the Cannibal' was welcomed by King Filip and even received a special birthday present.
"It is a great honour to be invited here for my 80th birthday. Who would have dared to hope for that?" was the proud Eddy Merckx's modest response to HLN after the visit. "I cherish that. It is abnormal that people still remember me after all these years. That makes me happy. It must be that I have meant something for cycling here, and for Belgium in general."
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What did the two of most prominent figures in Belgium chat about? "About cycling today. Especially about the Belgians. Evenepoel made an impression at the Olympic Games. But it was also about family, friends, the grandchildren... It was very pleasant. The king knows something about cycling. He was also present at the Olympic Games. He is interested in the sports of all Belgians."
Merckx received a present for his eightieth birthday too. It was three photos which captured Merckx with the three Belgian kings he has met during his life. "The first was a photo of the Tour in 1971, with King Baudouin. And the second was with King Albert, when I received the honorary badge of baron. The third is a photo of the yellow jersey with King Philippe. Very special, with the three kings I had known."
Merckx is still recovering from a hip fracture, which he sustained some time ago after a fall from his bike. "It is getting better, but not yet as it should be. I hope I don't have to get a hip replacement, that would be a disaster," he concludes.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
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