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By Barry Boyce, CyclingRevealed Historian
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Eddy’s Return, But With Challengers
Eddy “the Cannibal” Merckx returned to the Tour de France after a year away from this Grand Tour event. On paper the experts predicted the Tour would be a “cake walk” for Merckx, but the 1974 TdF held a few surprises and a number of great efforts.
Merckx got off to his usual fast start by winning the prologue time trial. He relinquished the Maillot Jaune (race leader’s Yellow Jersey) to the sprinters on stage 1 and bided his time before the Alpine climbing stages.
Raymond Poulidor attacked the group on the difficult climb of the Mont du Chat. He easily pulls away from a struggling Merckx. Gonzalo Aja (Spa) caught and passed Poulidor on the climb, then headed over the summit of the climb 38 second in front of the Frenchman. Sensing a threat to the race lead, Merckx attacked the descent and taking all the risks necessary to catch the breakaway group. He was back with the three original attackers and won the sprint in Aix les Bains. Poulidor’s point was made with authority, but Merckx retained the Maillot Jaune by 2’01” over the Frenchman.
The 38-year-old Poulidor after the rest day in Aix les Bains struggled on the Col du Galibier and lost almost 6 minutes to Merckx. Vicente Lopez-Carril won the stage and presented Merckx with a new threat to the race leadership. Poulidor, a gallant warrior, was down but not finished.
The finish of tough stage 16 in the Pyrenees Mountains was on the climb of the Pla d’Adet. Always aggressive, Poulidor attacked on the climb and gained the stage win 1’49” ahead of Merckx.
The following day on the final climb to the ski station at La Mongie / Tourmalet, Poulidor continued his charge. He finished second on the stage and gained another a minute on both Merckx and Lopez-Carril. He was now in third overall, trailing Lopez-Carril by 1’53”.
Stage 21b was a 38 km ITT around Orleans. “Pou Pou” stormed through the ITT course and gained 2’17” on Lopez-Carril. Poulidor’s effort put him in second place overall with the finish in Paris one day away.
When the Tour reached Paris, Eddy Merckx left no doubt about who was the champion. He came around fellow Belgian Gus Van Roosbroeck in the sprint to win the final stage. The grand champion of cycling finished the 1974 TdF with 8 stage wins and an 8’04” lead on 38-year-old veteran Raymond Poulidor.
Eddy “the Cannibal” Merckx joined Jacques Anquetil as the only champions to win the Tour de France five times.
Stage and Distance |
Stage Winner |
Race Leader |
Prologue BREST, 7.1 km ITT |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 1 BREST-ST POL DE LEON, 144 km |
Ercole Gualazzini (Ita) |
Joseph Bruyere (Bel) |
Stage 2 PLYMOUTH (GBr)-PLYMOUTH (GBr), 164 km |
Henk Poppe (Ned) |
Joseph Bruyere (Bel) |
Stage 3 MORLAIX-ST MALO, 190 km |
Patrick Sercu (Bel) |
Joseph Bruyere (Bel) |
Stage 4 ST MALO-CAEN, 185 km |
Patrick Sercu (Bel) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 5 CAEN-DIEPPE, 165 km |
Ronald De Witte (Bel) |
Gerben Karstens (Ned) |
Stage 6a DIEPPE-HARELBEKE (Bel), 239 km |
Jean-Luc Molineris (Fra) |
Patrick Sercu (Bel) |
Stage 7 MONS (Bel)-CHALONS SUR MARNE, 222 km |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 8a CHALONS SUR MARNE-CHAUMONT, 136 km |
Cyrille Guimard (Fra) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 8b CHAUMONT-BESANCON, 152 km |
Patrick Sercu (Bel) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 9 BESANCON-GAILLARD, 241 km |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 10 GAILLARD-AIX LES BAINS, 132 km |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 11 AIX LES BAINS-SERRE CHEVALIER, 199 km |
Vicente Lopez-Carril (Spa) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 12 SAVINES LE LAC-ORANGE, 231 km |
Joseph Spruyt (Bel) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 13 AVIGNON-MONTPELLIER, 126 km |
Barry Hoban (Gbr) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 14 LODEVE-COLOMIERS, 248 km |
Jean-Pierre Genet (Fra) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 15 COLOMIERS-SEO DE URGEL (Spa), 225 km |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 16 SEO DE URGEL-ST LARY SOULAN / Pla d'Adet, 209 km |
Raymond Poulidor (Fra) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 17 ST LARY SOULAN-LA MONGIE, 119 km |
Jean-Pierre Danguillaume (Fra) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 18 BAGNERES DE BIGORRE-PAU, 142 km |
Jean-Pierre Danguillaume (Fra) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 19a PAU-BORDEAUX, 195 km |
Francis Campaner (Fra) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 19b BORDEAUX/Circuit du Lac, 12.4 km ITT |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 20 ST GILLES CROIX DE VIE-NANTES, 117 km |
Gerard Vianen (Ned) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 21a VOUVRAY-ORLEANS, 112 km |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 21b ORLEANS-ORLEANS, 38 km ITT |
Michel Pollentier (Fra) |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
Stage 22 ORLEANS-PARIS / La Cipale Velodrme, 146 km |
Eddy Merckx (Bel) |
 Eddy Merckx (Bel)
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BEST CLIMBER PRIZE |
Domingo Perurena (Spa) |
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POINTS CLASSIFICATION |
 Patrick Sercu (Bel)
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| TdF June 27 - July 21, 1974 |
| 4,105 Km |
1.
Eddy MERCKX (Bel) 116h16'58" |
2.
Raymond Poulidor (Fra) +8'04" |
3.
Vicente Lopez-Carril (Spa) +8'09" |
Starters: 130 |
Finishers: 105 |
Average Speed: 35.241 km/h |
TdF 1973
TdF 1975
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61st Tour de France 1974
