I’m sure some of you have seen The Greatest Show on Earth, a documentary on the 1974 Giro d’Italia. It’s one of my favorite cycling movies and this section, which was forwarded to me by a reader for a Merckx Mondays reminds me of why it’s one of the more successful films from the era. Take the background explanation on how “water boys” became a standard issue in racing along with the handing out of musette bags and the “raiding” of small shops. All of this is summed up with the movie’s slogan: The best rider, the best race and the ‘domestiques’.

Don’t miss that last segment. Now you know how all those old race bikes got dents in their top tubes!