It’s easy to think that Lance is now the greatest cyclist of all time. After all, he’s the only six time winner of the Tour de France. Easy to think and wrong. Eddy “the Cannibal” Merckx remains the greatest cyclist of all time.

Lance took the Tour de France and made it his personal obsession. He made the month long Tour a year long endeavor, relegating the remaining eleven months to training. He is the greatest champion of the Tour de France.

But Merckx won everything. At any course and over any distance, the Cannibal devoured his competition in quest of victory. In 1972 he had the second greatest hour in sports; setting the one hour cycling record, and collecting the 10km and 20km records along the way.

The greatest hour in sports? The 45 minute stretch in 1935 when Jessie Owens set three world records and tied a fourth.