Montreal 1974 World Championships | How Merckx completed cycling's rarest feat
Montreal, August 25, 1974. The World Championships leave Europe for the very first time. 262.5 kilometers, 21 laps up and over Mount Royal, crushing heat. Of the 70 riders who start, only 18 reach the finish.One man has a mission: win the Giro, the Tour and the Worlds, all in the same season. A strong French contingent stands in his way — Raymond Poulidor, Bernard Thevenet, Mariano Martinez. Thevenet attacks solo with 100 kilometers to go and builds a lead of over two minutes. Behind him, a five-man chase forms around Eddy Merckx. Lap after lap up Mount Royal, the gap comes down. On the final climb, with seven kilometers left, Merckx catches Thevenet and attacks immediately. Only 38-year-old Poulidor can hold his wheel. Merckx wins the sprint, takes the rainbow jersey, and becomes only the third rider in history — and the first ever in a single season — to complete cycling's Triple Crown.
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