Merckx mourns death of 'good friend' Poulidor

Eddy Merckx and Raymond Poulidor
Eddy Merckx and Raymond Poulidor at the 2019 Tour de France presentation (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

Eddy Merckx mourned the loss of Raymond Poulidor on Wednesday morning, saying that he's been hit hard by the death of his old rival and good friend, noting that the cycling world has lost an icon and a monument.

83-year-old Poulidor passed away in the early hours of Wednesday morning after a two-month stay in hospital. He and Merckx raced against each other at the Tour de France five times between 1969 and 1975, with Poulidor finishing on the podium three times behind the Belgian. 

Dani Ostanek
Senior News Writer

Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, she had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur. She writes and edits at Cyclingnews as well as running newsletter, social media, and how to watch campaigns.