KyoGrey said:
Hi! I'm a Spanish guy and for some years have been following the forum, and reluctant to join because of my not perfect English.
Just wanted to defend Eddy Merckx as best of all time. When you take into consideration Merckx palmarés, people tend to forget that the Merckx that tiranized the sport in the early and mid 70's was a cyclist limited by the terrific accident that he suffered in 1969 when he had a broken vertebra and his back and pelvis were spoiled for life.
So not only is Merckx the athlete with the best combined and individual GT and classics palmares, the scary thing is that he did that
without even reaching his full potential due to a chronical injury.
P.D: ¡Vamos Alberto a por el doblete!
Nobody was denegrating Merckx, but only arguing that in today's sport he and his generation (if talking about his competition), since they would be racing today against stiffer competition, better athletes 360° around; nobody can dominate the sport today like he did then. Punto e basta.
As far has his accident goes, not that it matters, but I've broken two vertebre in a cycling accident with a delivery truck. It's a whopping amount of pain the first month and, even today, I have pain if I'm seated for too long in normal chairs (the two vertebre in question will remain fractured for life, such is the outcome of a compression fracture, hence a chronic injury), but I was back on the bike after 5 months and raced again after 7 months. Appart from the loss of fitness, which was recuperable, riding wasn't affected and
thus I doubt Merckx didn't reach his full potential as the myth would like us to believe.