Quotes from Eddy Merckx

When I won my first Tour, the second-placed rider was some 18 minutes behind.

I earned more than other riders, but even in my best year I never grossed more than about $300,000.

Riders are not criminals.

I always rode for myself.

If you win once, you want more. You are not satisfied.

No, riding in the Peloton is more frightening than riding in the park.

I always thought Mario Cipollini was difficult to beat but I think Cipollini would have found it very hard against Cavendish.

I was a more aggressive rider than Armstrong. I would attack more often. He waits for the other guys, then counter-attacks.

I still cannot walk around anywhere in Belgium.

It's difficult for him, carrying the name. But Axel is doing what he likes to do, and for me, if Axel's happy, I'm also happy.

No sport is 100 per cent clean - I think 95 per cent of the cyclists are clean. In the normal world, not everybody is clean.

I've made up my mind. Lugano was my last World Championships as a coach.

What wears you out is the competing, not the training.

I cycle two or three times a week.

I do not plan to go on cycling until I am completely tired and finished.

The Tour is the No. 1 event in cycling.

You need talent as a rider and I think I had that in my genes. But I think I also had a talent for suffering, which I thought was important, but also determination.

After his success in the Tour of Italy and Tour de France in the same year, Pantani certainly made mistakes - but he was targeted by Italian justice who never let him go. I believe it was that that destroyed him.

Being in a team with a good atmosphere and where the people hang out, you can always outdo yourself there.

The more big teams we have the more competition we have.

Cavendish is a fantastic and jovial boy.

When the terrible accident occurred, at least I escaped with my life. I was the lucky one, that was my reaction.

I have great memories, but I'm not terribly nostalgic.

Sometimes it's strange being me. I travel the world meeting people, I'm surrounded with friends and my life is full, but all the time I am confronted by a young man I have nothing in common with. He is me, but he is not me now. In fact I have been me now for longer than I was him, but no one wants to know about me.