Tour de France 1971 - Luis Ocaña vs. Eddy Merckx (2/3)

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Sports

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• Ciclismo
• Cycling
• Ciclisme
• Legends
• of
• the
• Tour
• 1971
• Francia
• France
• Luis
• Ocaña
• Ocana
• Eddy
• Merckx
• Orcieres
• Merlette
• Mente

[walter4092]

@bofustjohnson Ocana was the first rider to attack Merckx , that made the tour 71 great

it s so sad he felt , i couldn t tell what happened then , Merckx hated to loose , and he try and try to put things right .respect for the victory s of Merckx , but Ocana had a fragil health , 73 was Ocana s year , to sad that he was so fragil .

and about the suicide , there doubts about it ,

[pedalman]

@walter4092 Yes Merckx had his bad luck over the years but still remains the greatest bike rider in history .

Also, crashes come down to two things the riders own bad bike handling or some one else causing you to crash, both in 71 and 72 Ocanas' own wrong judgement caused his own crashes prompting some journalists to question his ability to stay on his bike. Part of winning is bike handling as well as talent and strength .

[walter4092]

@pedalman in 75 Merckx didn t start in the Giro , he was ill , the team manager of Thevenet said * if Bernard doesn t lose more than three minutes before the mountains , there is a change we can beat Merckx .To bad an French Guy hit Merckx in the lever during the climb of the Puy de Dome .The next stage Merckx loose three minutes ,

bad luck following him and his fall before the start in a stage was very hard .a double jaw fracture .. That s in fact the end , he won milan san remo 76

[pedalman]

@walter4092 I DO NOT hate Louis Ocana, let me put that idea out of your mind. What you are saying is Ocana was the only rider good enough to challenge Merckx in a "tour" and I agree with you.

That puts Ocana above everyone else except Eddy Merckx. He challenged Merckx in 71. In 1972 Merckx won by 10.41 to 2nd placed Gimondi winning six stages and leading for 17 stages, again Ocana crashed while chasing a Merckx attack and had minor injuries,he retired due to a lung infection.

[walter4092]

@pedalman it seems to me , you hate Luis Ocana , i don t say Ocana was one of the best , in the classic races , De Vlaeminck won 4 times Paris- Roubaix , once Ronde van Vlaanderen , three times Milaan - San Remo , one time luik-bastenaken - luik , ronde van Lombardije Paris-Brussel and tour de Suiisse + 22 stages in the Giro

But Roger was not a rider to win the tour , to sad he does not became world champion

2 in 75

[pedalman]

@walter4092 Why did they not have the guts to attack Merckx in the tour ? They attacked him in many of the other races.

Yes Merckx punished his body over a short few years wanting to win everything and probably shortened his career, but lets not hold his desire to win against him .

If Ocana had been a cyclist of the same talent as Merckx he would have been up there with Merckx attacking him over more years than only 71.

[walter4092]

@pedalman Most tour riders did not have the guts to attack Merckx , Ocana won the tour in 73 , and he was the only in 71 that has the guts to attack Merckx .Let s get serouis , let s take a look in 74 , Merckx won and an 38 year old man called Poulidor was second .Zoetemelk won wk , tour of Spain and by abended by Hinault the tour 80

Merckx gave up races on his 32 , because he want to much what was sad , the tour of 75 he felt and there is te cause of his to early stop

[pedalman]

@walter4092 As I said earlier I didnt say Ocana was a nobody in general terms ONLY in comparison to the number of victories he had compared to Merckx.....but that applies to almost everyone compared to Merckx .

[walter4092]

@pedalman ocana was not a nobody , he won the tour 73 en vuelta in 70

not such a palmares by Merckx ,

76 , the tour , VAN IMPË attack , had to ride a lot of miles in the valley , Ocana helped him , because Zoetemelk did nt help him when he drove against Merckx

thanks a lot Ocana that yoy did what you did in 71

it was great and if Ocana didn t felt , no one can say that Merckx or Ocana gonna win

because Eddy want it all , the others ride against him