Editing Eddy Merckx (section)

== Early life and amateur career ==

Edouard Louis Joseph Merckx was born in [[Meensel-Kiezegem]],<ref name="VN EM 70">{{cite news|url=http://velonews.competitor.com/the-cannibal-eddy-merckx-turns-70|title='Merckx 525:' A tribute to the Cannibal |work=VeloNews|publisher=Competitor Group|access-date=14 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713165610/http://velonews.competitor.com/the-cannibal-eddy-merckx-turns-70|archive-date=13 July 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Province of Brabant|Brabant]], Belgium on 17 June 1945 to Jules Merckx and Jenny Pittomvils.{{sfn|Friebe|2012|p=104}}{{sfn|Fotheringham|2012|p=20}} Merckx was the first-born of the family.{{sfn|Friebe|2012|p=104}}{{sfn|Fotheringham|2012|p=20}} In September 1946, the family moved to [[Woluwe-Saint-Pierre|Sint-Pieters-Woluwe]], in [[Brussels]], Belgium in order to take over a grocery store that had been up for lease.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2012|p=22}}<ref name="Guard Review">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/mar/16/eddy-merckx-william-fotheringham-review|title=Merckx: Half-Man, Half-Bike by William Fotheringham&nbsp;– review|date=16 March 2012|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=13 April 2013|first=Graham|last=Robb}}</ref> In May 1948, Jenny gave birth to twins: a boy, Michel, and a girl, Micheline.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2012|p=23}} As a child Eddy was hyperactive and was always playing outside.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2012|pp=23–24}}

Eddy was a competitive child and played several sports, including [[basketball]], [[association football|football]], [[table tennis]] and [[boxing]], the latter in which he won some local boxing tournaments.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2012|p=24}}{{sfn|Fotheringham|2012|p=25}} He even played lawn tennis for the local junior team.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2012|p=25}} However, Merckx claimed he knew he wanted to be a cyclist at the age of four and that his first memory was a crash on his bike when he was the same age.<ref name="G H">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jun/29/eddy-merckx-this-much-i-know|title=Eddy Merckx: this much I know |first=Andy|last=Pietrasik|date=29 June 2013|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=10 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510154935/http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jun/29/eddy-merckx-this-much-i-know|archive-date=10 May 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Merckx began riding a bike at the age of three or four and would ride to school every day, beginning at age eight.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2012|p=30}} Merckx would imitate his cycling idol [[Stan Ockers]] with his friends when they rode bikes together.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2012|p=28–29}}

In summer 1961, Merckx bought his first racing license and competed in his first official race a month after he turned sixteen, coming in sixth place.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2012|p=31}} He rode in twelve more races before winning his first, at [[Petit-Enghien]], on 1 October 1961.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=15–16}}{{sfn|Friebe|2012|p=108}}<ref name="VN EM 70" /> In the winter following his first victory, he trained with former racer [[Félicien Vervaecke]] at the local [[velodrome]].{{sfn|Fotheringham|2012|p=32}} Merckx won his second victory on 11 March 1962 in a [[Kermesse (cycling)|kermis]] race.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2012|p=32}} Merckx competed in 55 races during the 1962 calendar year; as he devoted more time to cycling, his grades at school began to decline.{{sfn|Friebe|2012|pp=108–109}} After winning the Belgian amateur road race title, Merckx declined an offer from his school's headmaster to have his exams postponed, and dropped out of school.{{sfn|Friebe|2012|p=109–110}}<ref name="EN H">{{cite news|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Eddy_Merckx.aspx|title=Eddy Merckx |date=2008|work=Encyclopedia of World Biography |publisher=HighBeam Research|access-date=10 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510171316/http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Eddy_Merckx.aspx|archive-date=10 May 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> He finished the season with 23 victories to his name.<ref name="EN H" />

Merckx won the [[UCI Road World Championships – Men's amateur road race|amateur road race]] at the [[1964 UCI Road World Championships]] in [[Sallanches]], France.{{sfn|Heijmans|Mallon|2011|p=131}}<ref name="LS WARR">{{cite news|first=Gigi|last=Boccacini|url=http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,avanzata/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,9/articleid,0099_01_1964_0203_0009_10702482/|title=Invano si è sperato nella volata di Armani|language=it|date=6 September 1964|page=9|newspaper=La Stampa|publisher=Editrice La Stampa|access-date=27 May 2012|trans-title=It is hoped in vain sprint Armani}}</ref> The following month, he came twelfth in [[Cycling at the 1964 Summer Olympics – Men's individual road race|the individual road race]] at the [[1964 Summer Olympics|Tokyo Olympics]].<ref name="CDS 64 ORR">{{cite web|url=http://dlib.coninet.it/bookreader.php?&c=1&f=12744&p=1#page/5/mode/1up|title=Prova su strada|newspaper=Corriere dello Sport|date=23 October 1964|page=4|access-date=7 July 2013|language=it|trans-title=Road test|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510172852/http://dlib.coninet.it/bookreader.php?&c=1&f=12744&p=1|archive-date=10 May 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="sports-reference">{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/me/eddy-merckx-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418111636/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/me/eddy-merckx-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |title=Eddy Merckx |access-date=22 August 2014}}</ref>  Merckx remained an amateur until April 1965, and finished his amateur career with eighty wins to his credit.<ref name="VN 60">{{cite web| title= Happy Birthday, Eddy!| date= 17 June 2005| url= http://velonews.competitor.com/2005/06/news/happy-birthday-eddy_8224| access-date = 13 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510150857/http://velonews.competitor.com/2005/06/news/happy-birthday-eddy_8224|work=VeloNews|publisher=Competitor Group|archive-date=10 May 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="L'Équipe 13 March 2007">L'Équipe, France, 13 March 2007</ref>