Derek,
I am just writing what I have read in interviews with Maertens. In Les Woodlands book "Cycling Heroes" he interviews Maertens and Maertens says that when he got up to Merckx he offered to work with Eddy and let him have the win, Eddy supposedly said "I don't know if I can trust you" and stopped riding. Then the other 2 caught up to them and we know what heppened next. Maertens also said that he should have won anyway but Gimondi switched him at the last second and he didn't launch a protest because "we mustn't upset our Italian friends".
I have never personally interviewed Merckx ot Maertens so this is all second hand, to quote another famous American "all I know is what I read in the papers" (Will Rogers for those of you who don't remember).
Brian (there's no hills in Ontario so what's with the 10 speed cassettes) Booth Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
Hi Brian, This is taken from your letter to CyclingNews:
"First, Maertens did not bring Gimondi and Ocana across, Maertens bridged across on his own and offered to work with Merckx and let him take the win, Eddy refused and immediately stopped riding..."
My questions: How did Merckx refuse? Are you saying that Maertens knew he was on his own by Eddy's refusal? If Merckx stopped riding, why did Maertens try to lead him out?
Thanks,
Derek Willburn
Long Beach, CA
> To try to understand what happened between Merckx
> and Maertens I have read several books on Merckx, as
> well as Freddy Maertens book "Fall from Grace" as
> well as watched the video of the finish of 1973
> Worlds a hundred times, and I sent a letter with my
> opinions on this incident to Cyclingnews.com that
> was published and can be read at this link.
>
>
>
http://www.cyclingnews.com/
>
> Brian (still freezing to death in the Great White
> North) Booth
> Toronto, Ontario, Canada