Merckx: Half Man, Half Bike
William Fotheringham
THE SUNDAY TIMES NO.1 BESTSELLER
What makes a man the greatest of all time? Eddy Merckx is to cycling what Muhammad Ali is to boxing or Pelé to football: quite simply, the best there has ever been.
Merckx was a machine. It wasn't just the number of victories (445); it was his remorseless domination that created the legend. He didn't just beat his opponents, he crushed them. But his triumphs only tell half a story that includes horrific injury, a doping controversy and tragedy. He was nicknamed 'The Cannibal' for his insatiable appetite for victory, but the moniker did scant justice to a man who was handsome, sensitive and surprisingly anxious. Britain's leading cycling writer, William Fotheringham, goes back to speak to those who were there at the time and those who knew Merckx best to find out what made Eddy Merckx so invincible.
'The full unvarnished of one man’s heaven, and hell, on wheels' Independent
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About William Fotheringham
Reviews for Merckx: Half Man, Half Bike
Brian Schofield
Sunday Times
A fine portrait of obsession
Financial Times
Remarkable and impressive … everything you want to know about Merckx and more.
Richard Abraham
Cycling Weekly
The Cantona or Muhammad Ali of cycling, this Belgian’s story is amazing – and it’s told by one of the greatest cycling reporters around... Top Notch
Loaded
The full unvarnished of one man’s heaven, and hell, on wheels.
i, Independent
The extraordinary and definitive story of a man whose fear of failure would drive him to the highest pinnacles, before ultimately destroying him.
Living North
The Muhammad Ali of cycling.
TNT Magazine
Packed with stories of controversies, falls, secret deals and bitter recriminations.
John Foot
Times Literary Supplement
Scrupulously researched.
Graham Robb
Guardian