Editing Eddy Merckx (section)

====1969: A victory in Paris and injury in Blois====
Merckx opened the 1969 season with victories at the [[Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana|Vuelta a Levante]] and the Paris–Nice overall, as well as stages in each of the races.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=88}} On 30 March 1969 Merckx earned his first major victory of the 1969 calendar with his win at the [[1969 Tour of Flanders|Tour of Flanders]].{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=86}} On a rainy day that featured strong winds,{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=86}} he attacked first on the Oude Kwaremont, but a puncture nullified any gains he was able to establish.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=87}} He made a move on the Kapelmuur and was followed by a few riders.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=87}} As the wind shifted from a crosswind to a headwind with close to seventy kilometers left to go, Merckx increased the pace and rode solo to victory.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=87}} The seventeen days after the Tour of Flanders saw Merckx win nine times.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=88}} He won Milan–San Remo by descending the Poggio at high speed.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=88}} Merckx saw victory again in mid-April at the [[1969 Liège–Bastogne–Liège|Liège–Bastogne–Liège]] when he attacked with 70 kilometers remaining.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=89}}

He began the [[1969 Giro d'Italia|Giro d'Italia]] on 16 May, stating that he wished to ride less aggressively than the year before in order to save energy for the [[1969 Tour de France|Tour de France]].{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=100–101}} Merckx had won four of the race's stages and held the race lead going into the sixteenth day of racing.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=101}} However, before the start of the stage race director Vincenzo Torriani, along with a television camera and two writers, entered Merckx's hotel room and informed him that he had failed a doping control and was disqualified from the race, in addition to being suspended for a month.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|pp=101–102}} On 14 June, the cycling governing body, the FICP, overturned the month long suspension and cleared him due to the "benefit of the doubt."{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=107}}

[[File:Mourenx velodrome 003.JPG|thumb|The Velodrome Eddy Merckx at Mourenx was named in honor of Merckx in 1999 due to his efforts during the seventeenth stage at the [[1969 Tour de France]].|alt=A green field with the words "Coupe du monde".]]
Before starting the Tour, Merckx had spent a large amount of his time resting and training, racing only five times.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=110}} Merckx won the race's sixth stage through attacking before the leg's final major climb, the Ballon d'Alsace, and then outlasting his competitors who were able to follow him initially.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|pp=119–120}} During the seventeenth stage, Merckx was riding at the head of the race with several general classification contenders on the [[Col du Tourmalet]].{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=112}} Merckx shifted into a large gear, attacked, and went on to cross the summit with a 45-second advantage.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|pp=112–113}} Despite orders to wait for the chasing riders, Merckx increased his efforts.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=113}} He rode over the [[Col du Soulor]] and [[Col d'Aubisque]], increasing the gap to eight minutes.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=113}} With close to fifty kilometers to go, Merckx began to suffer [[hypoglycemia]] and rode the rest of the stage in severe pain.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=114}} At the end of the stage, Merckx told the journalists "I hope I have done enough now for you to consider me a worthy winner."{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=114}} Merckx finished the race with six stage victories to his credit, along with the general, points, mountains, and combination classifications, and the award for most aggressive rider.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=123}}

His next major race was the two-day race, [[Paris–Luxembourg]].{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=128}} Merckx was down fifty-four seconds going into the second day and attacked eight kilometers from the finish, on the slopes of the Bereldange.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=128}} Merckx rode solo to catch the leading rider Jacques Anquetil, whom he dropped with a kilometer remaining.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|pp=128-129}} Merckx won the stage and gained enough time on the race leader Gimondi to win the race.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=129}}

[[File:Derny.jpg|thumb|left|Fernand Wambst, who was regarded as a great [[derny]] driver, agreed to pace Merckx in the omnium events in [[Blois]].{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=134}}|alt=An illustration of a derny.]]
On 9 September, Merckx participated in a three-round [[omnium]] event at the concrete velodrome in [[Blois]] where each rider was to be paced by a [[derny]].{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=133}}{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=134}} Fernand Wambst was Merckx's pacer for the contest.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=134}} After winning the first intermediate sprint of the first round, Wambst chose to slow their pace and move to the back of the race despite Merckx wanting to stay out in front for fear of an accident.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=135}} Wambst wanted to pass everyone to provide a show for the crowd.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=135}} The duo then increased their pace and began to pass each of the other contestants;{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=135}} however, as they passed the riders in first position, the leading derny lost control and crashed into the wall.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=135}} Wambst chose to avoid the derny by going below it, but the leader's derny came back down and collided with Wambst, while Merckx's pedal caught one of the dernies.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=136}} The two riders landed head first onto the track.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=136}}
{{Quote box
| quote = ‘’Blois was the worst experience of my career. Here I could have been dead. The accident cost me a few years of my career, because afterwards, with that back, I never had the same feeling uphill as I had in that very first Tour of ‘69.’'
| source = Eddy Merckx in 2005<ref>{{cite web |date=6 July 2005 |title=Eddy Merckx voor het eerst weer in Blois sinds zware val van 1969 |work=Het Nieuwsblad |trans-title=Eddy Merckx back in Blois for first time since heavy 1969 fall |url=https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/glmg69ra |publisher=[[Het Nieuwsblad]] |language=nl}}</ref>
| bgcolor = #CCDDFF
| align = right
| width = 29%
| quoted = 1
}}
Wambst died of a fractured skull as he was being transported to a hospital.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=136}} Merckx remained unconscious for 45 minutes and awoke in the operating room.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=136}} He sustained a [[concussion]], [[whiplash (medicine)|whiplash]], trapped nerves in his back, a displaced [[pelvis]], and several other cuts and bruises.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=137}} He remained at the hospital for a week before returning to Belgium.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=137}} He spent six weeks in bed before beginning to race again in October.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=137}} Merckx later stated that he "was never the same again" after the crash.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=137}}<ref name="BRI 1970 Giro">{{cite web|url=http://bikeraceinfo.com/giro/giro1970.html |title=1970 Giro d'Italia |work=Bike Race Info|first1=Bill |last1=McGann |first2=Carol |last2=McGann |publisher=Dog Ear Publishing|access-date=10 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227195922/http://bikeraceinfo.com/giro/giro1970.html|archive-date=27 February 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> He would constantly adjust the height of his seat during races to help ease the pain.{{sfn|Fotheringham|2013|p=138}}