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Music Lane It's all about the music, dude! Sit down, relax and listen to some tunes. |
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Music Lane It's all about the music, dude! Sit down, relax and listen to some tunes. |
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In Reply to: RE: Met and shook hands with Eddy Merckx at the Long Beach Bike Show back in the 80's... posted by rbolaw on May 9, 2016 at 11:14:09:
Funny story, thanks.However, I don't think it was ever established that Merckx was *intentionally* punched in the gut as he ascended one of the toughest climbs in the race.
The man responsible for "punching" Merckx, was later questioned about it. He claimed that he was only doing what hundreds of other fans were doing at the time (whirling his arms forward in an effort cheer the leader on), and when Merckx veered too close to the side of the road he (Merckx) inadvertently collided with the man's whirling hand.
Whatever the truth is, Merckx probably suffered some permanent damage as a result of having the wind knocked out of him while under exertion in the extreme altitude.
And whatever the truth, the French WERE known for harboring an ugly form of nationalism back then. For instance, they adored "eternal second" Poulidor because he seemed "typically" French (brunette, dark-eyed, poor working class roots, etc...), but disliked champion Anquetil because he was Norman French and had blue eyes/blonde hair.
So we can only imagine how the French felt about Belgian Eddy Merckx, routinely kicking their asses in the big tours. It's quite possible that he WAS intentionally assaulted on that day.
Edits: 05/10/16
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