De Post puts Merckx on de stamp

His face is one of the most recognizable in the world of cycling and now sporting legend Eddy Merckx could greet you when you check the mail box. The Belgian postal service, De Post, has launched a limited edition of postage stamps featuring a portrait of the cycling great, in addition to imagery of the rider wearing the Tour de France’s yellow jersey and the Arc de Triomphe.

Merckx attended a special ceremony to launch the stamp earlier this week, as did the nation’s prime minister Yves Leterme.

The Belgian rider is generally considered one of, if not the, best of all time thanks to his comprehensive career. Merckx won the Tour on five occasions, the Giro d’Italia a further five times and the Vuelta a Espana on one occasion.

It was more than his Grand Tour conquests that gave Merckx his reputation, however, as his list of results in one day races is no-less impressive. He was a three time world champion and had won Milan-Sanremo, Ronde van Vlaanderen, Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Giro di Lombardia all on more than one occasion.