This is Jenny Merckx, Eddy’s mum and a force of nature. In 1964 Eddy was dropped from the Belgian Olympic squad, so Jenny went to bat for him. The selectors didn’t know what hit them!
There was supposed to be an irregularity on Eddy’s electro-cardiogram. The Merckx family doctor found nothing, so the Belgian team manager, Oscar Daemers said he was a quack. He also told Jenny that perhaps her son wasn’t as good a rider as she thought. Then he backed down a bit and told Mrs Merckx he might select Eddy for the 100-kilometre team time trial, thinking it would appease her. It didn’t, it made her more suspicious.
By 1964 Eddy’s mum knew plenty about cycling, she knew the 100-kilometre team time trial was one of the most demanding events. How could her son do that with his heart problem and not ride the road race? It didn’t add up. The deselection smacked of favouring another Belgian rider, to whom Eddy was a threat.
She contacted her doctor and asked him to speak to Dr Marilier, who did the Olympic squad test, and the truth came out. Dr Marilier said he’d been told by Daemers to make a negative report on Eddy. Jenny Merckx then spoke to Jean Van Buggenhout, who later became Eddy’s personal agent, and asked if he would intervene on her son’s behalf.
Van Buggenhout represented many big pro riders and was powerful in Belgian cycling, Daemers’ day job was race promotion, so he needed Van Buggenhout onside. Once he intervened Merckx was quickly selected for the road race at both the world championships and the Olympic Games. The Games didn’t work for him, but on a tough course in Sallanches, on a wet September day Eddy Merckx won his first world title. He was 19.
Within hours Jenny Merckx received a telegram from Oscar Daemers. It read; ‘Congratulations, Mrs Merckx. Fortunately, we took your advice.’ It was never established why Daemers wanted Merckx off the squad, but Van Buggenhout caused a very rapid reversal in his thinking.
Read more about Eddy Merckx in the fourth edition of our Cycling Legends Illustrated Book Collection - Flandriens. Available on our website here.
