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1971- Unbeatable Merckx Gets a Major Scare

CR Timeline 1971

Eddy ”the Cannibal” Merckx was unbeatable in his first two Tour de France (TdF) appearances. Few cycling connoisseurs held out hope for a suspenseful Tour and at the start line Merckx was the overwhelming favorite. The other top riders planned an unofficial alliance to combat the Cannibal's huge talent.

The race started in Mulhouse on June 27, 1971 with the prologue team time trial (TTT). Merckx and his very strong Molteni team took the stage win in the prologue. Merckx maintained control of the Maillot Jaune (race leader's Yellow Jersey), he seemed well on his way to another dominating the Tour. However, no Tour is ever decided before the mountains and Paris was still 18 stages away.

When the hard climbing stages began, a new generation of talented climbers began to attack Merckx. Stage 8 featured a stage finish at the top of the renowned Puy de Dome . Joop Zoetemelk, Luis Ocana, Lucien Van Impe, Bernard Thevenet, Joaquim Agostinho and Gosta Pettersson all took turns attacking the race leader. The hard pace diminished the lead group, near the top of the Puy de Dome and the breakaway was reduced to 4 riders. Under the 4 km to go kite, Spaniard Luis Ocana launched the decisive move and broke away from the elite group. At the finish line, Ocana earned a well deserved stage win, but his time gain was only 15 second on Merckx. However, the time difference was small but the psychological gain was significant. The Cannibal was riding hard but struggled to defend the barrage of attacks.

Two days later on stage 10 from St. Etienne to Grenoble, the aggressive racing continued. As the lead group crossed the summit of the Col de Cucheron (the final climb of the stage), Merckx punctured. While the race leader waited for a wheel change, the lead pack rolls away. The breakaway, led by Luis Ocana, opened a 1-minute gap on a hard chasing Merckx. In Grenoble, Bernard Thevenet won the 4-man sprint for the stage win. The breakaway gained 1'09” on Merckx and the new race leader was Joop Zoetemelk, who took the Maillot Jaune by 1 second over Ocana.

Tensions were high for stage 11, the second day of racing in the Alps. Merckx was trailing in the overall classification and faced another hard day of climbing. Early in the stage Agostinho attacked on the climb of the Cote de Laffrey. Ocana, Zoetemelk and Van Impe soon join the breakaway with Merckx and Gosta Pettersson in hot pursuit. Through the valley Ocana drove the pace of the group, knowing that Merckx was chasing hard. For 77 km the only help Merckx got in the chase group was from teammates Joseph Huysmans and Marinus Wagtmans. They deliver Merckx to the beginning of the 11.1 km, 6% finishing climb to Orcieres-Merlette well behind breakaway. The defending champion charged up the climb trying to limit his time loss to Ocana. He finished the stage well off the pace in 3rd, 8'42” behind the brilliant Spanish climber. The beleaguered Cannibal was in the unfamiliar position of trailing by 9'46” in the overall classification following the largest defeat of his career. Merckx used the rest day to re-formulate his own plan.

Stage 12 was a long 251 km from Orcieres-Merlette to Marseille. The temperatures of the day were brutally hot and added to the tough roads of Provence. Merckx and his Molteni team implemented their own aggressive plan and attacked in the first kilometer of the stage. A nine-rider breakaway group formed with Merckx and two of his teammates driving the pace. The group set an average speed that finished the stage in Marseille 30 minutes ahead of schedule. Merckx finished second to Luciano Armani on the stage, but gained a valuable 2'12” on Ocana. The Cannibal was back in the race, standing 2nd overall, trailing Ocana by 7'34”.

The Tour now entered the tough climbing of the Pyrenees Mountains. Stage 14 from Revel to Luchon was a legendary stage and featured the climbs of the Portet d'Aspet, Col de Mente, and Col du Portillon. The weather was less than ideal as the riders started the stage. Thick black clouds threatened as the peloton cleared the first climb and traversed the narrow Portet d'Aspet descent. Merckx, needing to gain time, attacked and pulls away on the Col de Mente. Ocana answered immediately and joined Merckx. Eddy surged again but the Spaniard was stuck to his wheel. As the two approached the summit of the climb the black clouds opened up with torrential rain, hail, lightning and thunder. Rivers of water flowed down the narrow mountain road.

Over the foggy summit of the Col de Mente, Merckx, an excellent downhill rider, plummeted insanely down the narrow, mountain road. To stay in contact with Merckx, Ocana took serious risks of his own. Flying through the corners the Cannibal lost control and skidded into a low retaining wall at the side of the road. Ocana trailing close behind cannot avoid the fallen Merckx and fell himself. Merckx was up quickly and sped away. Ocana struggled to release his cleats from the toe clips and was struck by the pursuing Zoetemelk. The Maillot Jaune lay on the ground screaming with pain. Help arrived quickly and Luis Ocana was rushed by helicopter to the hospital in St. Gaudens. He recovered from his injuries, but his 1971 Tour dreams had come to an end.

Merckx was so shaken by the affair; he wanted to withdraw from the race. Long into the night his team director and teammates tried to persuade him to continue the race. Relenting the following day he did continue, but with respect for Ocana's efforts, Merckx refused to wear the Maillot Jaune by default. He must wait until he earned the right to wear it. Four days later, he won the stage 17 breakaway sprint in Bordeaux and donned the Maillot Jaune again.

TdF 1971 Recap

TdF Champion: Eddy Merckx (Bel)

Starters: 130

Finishers: 94

Distance: 3,580 km

Average: 36.925 km/h

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