525: The Unstoppable Eddy Merckx
The greatest bike racer the world has ever seen.
Eddy Merckx’s professional career – spanning 1965 to 1978 – comprised an insurmountable 525 wins, including five Tours de France, five Giri d’Italia, 19 Monuments, the Hour Record, three World Championships and hundreds more. Merckx is cycling’s most iconic rider and the undisputed champion of champions. But who really is Eddy Merckx? 525: The Unstoppable Eddy Merckx uncovers the man behind the legend. With insights from Eddy and his family, his greatest rivals, teammates, collaborators and admirers – this new documentary pays tribute to a true phenomenon of 20th-century sport.
“Glory is ephemeral. The day he stops racing will be harsh.”
— Claudine Merckx
Eddy Merckx was brutalist: a rider whose form was dictated by function, with nothing wasted. Like the exposed, raw-concrete structures of béton, the way he rode demanded your attention. This hard-edged style of straight lines and powerful silhouettes dictated what happened around him—an economy of motion, a repetition of effort, an aesthetic of sheer inevitability.
“We wanted to make a film about my dad, not just the bike racer the world already knows, but the man behind it all. […] There were many people we hoped to interview, but hearing my mum speak in the film was probably the biggest triumph of all, as she had refused to be interviewed for a very long time.”
- Axel Merckx
As well as the showings of the film, each premiere will be supported by exclusive insight into the making of the documentary. The London event will feature a Q&A compèred by Simon Mottram and featuring some of the famous voices from the film. The Brussels event Q&A will be with the man himself, Eddy Merckx, joined on-stage by his son, Axel.
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