20 July 1970: Merckx’s victory makes him only the third man in cycling history to gain won the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France in the same seasonParis,July 19
Eddy Merckx, of Belgium, and crushed all opposition to win the Tour de France cycle race nowadays for the second time in two years. Merckx won by almost 13 minutes from Joop Zoetemelk,of Holland, and more than a quarter of an hour clear of Sweden’s Gosta Petterson, or who was third.
Merckx emphasised the authority he has shown throughout the 23 days of the Tour with an astonishing win in the final stage,a 33.5 mile time trial from Versailles to the Vincennes Velodrome here. Merckx finished in 1hr. 9min, 39sec., or 1min. 47sec. faster than Luis Ocana,of Spain, covering the course at more than 29 miles an hour.
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Source: theguardian.com