A few fays ago, Eddy Merckx celebrates his 70th brithday. For this event, the former Belgian rider presented a special limited edition EDDY70 bike made by the Merckx bike company. Only 70 have been produced, with Eddy fiven bike number 1.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Merckx told about his career with Italian journalist Marco Pastonesi. "When I was a boy I dreamed about becoming a rider. Then as a rider I wanted to become a champion. That made me even hungrier... so much so that the daughter of a rider called me the Cannibal. She said because I just left the crumbs to my rivals," Merckx told Italian journalist Marco Pastonesi in an intimate interview for Gazzetta dello Sport.

"After my racing career I realised that cycling would be part of my life for ever. No longer as a rider on the road but as a bike builder, first in the factory and now as an ambassador, of course surrounded by my former teammates and my friends."

Even if he has some health issues, Merckx ramains active. "Being curious and passionate help you to stay young, at least inside," Merckx said. "You never stop learning in life and the biggest rival is boredom. There's nothing worse that wasting your time. I never get bored and I'm very active. I don't know how to sit still. And people help me to stay active."

His generation was unique. His huge palmares showed that cycling in the 60s and 70s was very different with the current peloton. "In my time politics and cultures were different. Now there are races in China, Korea, Oman and Dubai, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Norway and Poland. The bicycle has spread everywhere and will go even further," he suggested. "If I'd raced now, I'd have perhaps won other races to the ones I did. I don't think I'd have won more. Do you not think I won enough?"