Extraordinary story of Merckx the machine is subject of fascinating new biography
SPORTS BOOK OF THE WEEK Merckx: Half Man, Half Bike , by William Fotheringham Published by: Yellow Jersey WHAT'S IT ABOUT? Lance Armstrong may have won more Tours de France than Eddy Merckx -- seven against five -- but consider this: between 1961 and 1978, the Belgian rider known as the Cannibal won 525 races, including the Giro d’Italia four times and and three world championships, in addition to his four straight Tour de France wins between 1969 and 1972, with another in 1974. No cyclist has ever won more races in a career, which set Merckx apart from the rest in some minds as verging on mad. Armstrong would save himself for the big events, basing his season on being at his peak at the right moments. Merckx seemed to want to be at his peak every time he rode. He had an addiction to winning, so consuming that at the height of his powers he won the equivalent of a race every week for six years. In his most prolific season, he won 54 races, a total never surpassed. He hold