The Radavist

Mick from 100 Tacos‘ Eddy Merckx Pista has some lovely beausage. After the seat stay cap cracked, he had it repaired and rather than paint-matching the raw steel, he let it oxidize, giving this bike lots of character. While this isn’t a complete photoset, I think these photos capture this bike wonderfully. Killer ride, Mick!

It’s easy to understand why people call Merckx the greatest of all time, especially when watching his stage 12 of 1967 Giro d’Italia victory. It was the first time Eddy won a mountain stage, thus beginning to carve his legacy. Nice find, Tracko.

A is for attack and P is for piste are just two of the details in this Eddy Merckx Alphabet poster.

What a perfect Merckx Mondays post. Team Too Late has a pre-order up for these Endo Customs-made Eddy Merckx scrapbook vests. Head over for more information…

A reader sent in this Merckx Mondays photo, straight from the Colnago Twitter account with the caption: “44 years ago Eddy Merckx beat the Hour record. Ernesto Colnago was at his side!” Look at that New Bike Day face on Merckx! You can read all about this bike from Merckx Mondays number 40 where we look in depth at this very Hour Record bike.

Here’s a rad bit of cycling history. Back in 1976, Eddy won the Antwerp 6 Days with his good friend Patrick Sercu. Here’s the duo racing the madison. Later, they would win the National Team Championship together. Photo via Walter Vermeulen’s Flickr.

Photo by Andy White

My Merckxshake brings all the KOMs to the climb! Check out more of this delicious MXL Motorola at FYXO!

Photos by Kyle Kelley

Over the years, Eddy Merckx gained notoriety within the world of cycling as the cannibal, a cyclist who would eat his opponents alive on the climb. This mystique was even further amplified as he began racing for Molteni, a sausage company. Soon, Molteni orange would become an icon of cycling’s rich history and to this day, the Cannibal’s legacy lives on.

This history was without a doubt the inspiration behind Culver City’s the Cannibal Beer and Butcher, which began in New York City. Recently, the Cannibal’s new west side digs had a soft opening where their menu items were open for consumption.

Inside this swanky butcher shop, you’ll find musettes, bidons and other cycling accessories mixed in with craft beer and meat. Check out a few more photos below and if you’re in the ‘hood, roll through once they’re open!

The Cannibal Beer and Butcher
8850 Washington Blvd,
Culver City, CA 90232
Hours TBD

This is a banger of a photograph. Young Eddy in a Faema kit, battling it out against a Molteni racer during the Trofeo Baracchi in 1969. Photo via…

Artist Chris McNally, like many of us have a long withstanding love for Eddy Merckx, his legacy and his bicycles. Maybe not his modern machines, but rather the years of classic racing. Specically, Faema and Molteni.

As part of a giant undertaking, Chris is working on a new watercolor painting project: a bike shop of life experiences both fiction and non-fiction. Inside this gem of a idea will be bikes he’s owned and bikes he’s yet to own. Case in point: a Molteni Merckx…

There’s more to come from this unique undertaking, but for now let’s just appreciate the detail he put into this classic race steed.

While many collectors would take a vintage road frame and spend hours upon hours sourcing parts to complete the perfect “period correct” build, others simply take a perfectly good mix of components and turn a bike with a bit of beausage into a commuter.

That’s what a recent customer at Golden Saddle Cyclery did with this Eddy Merckx road bike. There are at least a dozen different brands that are currently making this bike roll. From Modolo to Mavic, it’s got a good mix of components adding to what I would consider a very sensible build.

One last part is in queue: a Wald basket…

Check out a few more below!

Rapha recently published a look into the history of racing’s eyewear including the Cannibal. See Eddy’s profile, Lemond’s, Coppi’s and André Leducq at Rapha. Great find, Tracko!

“Eddy Merckx embodies that spirit of excellence…”

Last week was Eddy’s birthday and to celebrate this excellence, the folks at River City Bicycles in Portland made an homage video, showcasing their in-shop shrine of the Cannibal.

Photos by Andy White

Don’t ride up grades, buy upgrades.

Leave it to FYXO to deliver a clean and crispy Merckx Mondays. This Eddy Merxkx pista, is built with a panto’d Cinelli XA stem, Record components and even filtered air in the tubes! See more at FYXO.

This one’s too good to not repost. Thanks for the heads up Tracko!

“A print series celebrating cycling’s legends in op art portraits. Each print colour is inspired by the team jersey in which they achieved their greatest successes and includes their detailed palmarès.”

See more at Victory Chimp.

What are these people thinking, posting a video of Eddy Merckx on a Wednesday of last week?

“First across the finish line 525 times, Eddy Merckx is the most successful cycle racer of all time. Jacky Ickx’s career is one of the richest and longest in the history of motorsport. His list of achievements is unrivalled in its variety. In 2015, Eddy Merckx and Jacky Ickx both celebrate their 70th birthday, as well as their long friendship. So it’s high time for the first major exhibition about this pair of Belgian sporting legends.”

Photos by Antton Miettinen

Jon Azkoitia has been a reader of the Radavist since the early blogspot days of PiNP and one of his favorite features is Merckx Mondays. When he began riding track bikes, it was due to his father’s love of track racing and Jon didn’t have just any introduction, he was given a Molteni-team Colnago track. For those who weren’t aware, the first few Molteni Eddy Merckx frames were made by De Rosa and Colnago before Eddy began making his own in Meise, a small town outside of Brussels.

Prior to Jon’s father, this bike was owned by Milano-SanRemo winner Michele Dancelli, who raced it for a number of years in the Molteni livery. The bike was then raced by Jon’s father for nearly 40 years! Needless to say, once Jon was handed down the frame, he felt it was time for a restoration, so Jon looked to the original heritage of the frame and did an amazing job.

See more photos below and follow Jon on his Flickr!

Yeah, this was probably better for last week’s Merckx Mondays, due to Halloween and all, but I missed Simon’s email. Seriously though, I’m stoked he used Merckx Mondays to inspire a series of illustrations at his site, aptly named Merckx Mondays.