He won the Tour de France a joint record five times 1969-74. Merckx turned professional 1966 and won his first classic race, the Milan-San Remo, the same year. He went on to win 24 classics as well as the three major tours (of Italy, Spain, and France) a total of 11 times. He was world professional road-race champion three times and in 1971 won a record 54 races in the season. He rode 50 winners in a season four times. He retired in 1977.
