Editing Eddy Merckx (section)

=== 1977–1978: Fiat France and C&A ===
[[File:Raphaël Geminiani-a (cropped).jpg|upright|thumb|180px|[[Raphaël Géminiani]] (pictured during the [[1954 Tour de France]]) became Merckx's new team manager with [[Fiat France (cycling team)|Fiat France]] for the 1977 season.|alt=A cyclist posing for a photo.]]

[[Fiat France (cycling team)|Fiat France]] became the new sponsor for Merckx's team and Raphaël Géminiani the new manager.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=272}} He got his season's first victories in the Grand Prix d'Aix and [[Tour Méditerranéen]].{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=273}} Merckx agreed to ride a light spring season in order to save himself for a chance at a sixth Tour victory.{{sfn|Cazeneuve|Chany|2011|p=664}} He took one stage at the Paris–Nice but had to withdraw from the race's final stage due to [[sinusitis]].{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=273}} In the spring classics, Merckx did not win any races, with his best finish being a sixth place in the Liège–Bastogne–Liège.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=273}} Before the Tour, Merckx raced both the Dauphiné Libéré and Tour de Suisse, winning one stage of the latter.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=273}}

He admitted his poor form and anxiety about aggravating previous injuries going into the [[1977 Tour de France|Tour de France]].{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=274}} He held on to second place overall for two weeks.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=274}} As the race entered the Alps, Merckx began to lose more time; he lost thirteen minutes on the stage to [[Alpe d'Huez]] alone.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=274}} On the stage into [[Saint-Étienne]], Merckx attacked and gained enough time to move into sixth overall; he finished the Tour in the same position.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=275}} In the time following the Tour, Merckx raced twenty-two races in a span of forty days before coming in thirty-third at the [[1977 UCI Road World Championships|UCI Road World Championships]] men's road race.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=276}} Merckx earned his final victory on the road on 17 September in a kermis race.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=276}} In late December, Fiat France chose to end their sponsorship of Merckx in favor of building a more French centered squad.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=281}}

In January, the department store [[C&A]] announced that they would sponsor [[C&A (cycling team)|a new team]] for Merckx after their owner met Merckx at a football game.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=281}} His plan for the season was to race one last Tour de France and then ride several smaller races for appearances.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|pp=281–282}} He raced a total of five races in the 1978 calendar.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=271}} His last victory was in a track event, an omnium in [[Zürich]], on 10 February 1978 with [[Patrick Sercu]].<ref name="memoire">{{cite web|title=Palmarès de Eddy Merckx (Bel)|language=fr|trans-title=Awards of Eddy Merckx (Bel)|url=http://www.memoire-du-cyclisme.eu/palmares/merckx_eddy.php|work=Memoire du cyclisme|access-date=8 May 2013}}</ref> His first road race came in the Grand Prix de Montauroux on 19 February.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=271}} Merckx came to the front of the race and put in a large effort before swinging off and quitting the race.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=281}} His best finish came in the [[Tour de Haut]], where he managed fifth.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=281}} He dropped out of Omloop Het Volk due to [[colitis]] and completed his final race on 19 March, a kermis in Kemzeke.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=281}} Following the race, Merckx went on a vacation to go skiing.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=281}} He returned from travel to train more, but by this point the team sponsor knew he was going to quit.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=281}} Merckx announced his retirement from the sport on 18 May.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=281}} He stated that the doctors advised him against racing.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=282}}