Taking the bull by the horns!
The Cannibal was itching to have the famous hour record amongst his lengthy palmares. And, on October 25, 1972 in the rarify air of Mexico City, Merckx set a record of 49.431km (30.715 mi) which stood for a long 12 years.
In January 1984, Francesco Moser ventured to Mexico City in the hope to better Eddy Merckx's hour record. Moser brought with him a carefully planned training & medical preparation. His 'funny bike' as it was called, was designed in the wind tunnel. The radical looking rear triangle without a seat post was a design change light years from Merckx's 'conventional' bike. Known for drilling major components, Merckx's bike was no different. Holes were drilled in each part of the bike, light tires and a special titanium stem used.
Coached by Dr Francesco Conconi, the 32 year old Moser was ready. Conconi was well known for introducing EPO and he admitted that Moser used blood transfusion for the record attempt. Not illegal at the time. In January 1984, along with disc wheels and a bull horned bar, Moser rode his bike to two consecutive records in four days. He conquered Merckx's existing 12 year old record by 1377 meters to 50.808 km/h, then destroyed his own on January 23rd by another 343 meters to 51.151 km/h. Moser added more than a kilometer to Merckx's record, smashing the 50km barrier for the first time. And, his new revolutionary designed bike would pave the way for new technology in cycling.
Record breaking bikes...
1984 funny...
1972 drilled.
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