Collector Philip has seven bikes from Eddy Merckx: "We Belgians can be proud of this brand".
At Eddy Merckx Bikes, we have a number of very loyal fans. Philip Decock (54) from Kluisbergen is one of them. About thirty years ago, he bought his first Eddy Merckx, then still the bike supplier for the American Motorola team. In 2024, he is still a customer with us.
Philip was also a decent cyclist himself. "I raced for a year with the TVH team in the under-23 category," he says. "There, I rode with an Eddy Merckx from Motorola, the team with which Lance Armstrong became world champion. I bought the bike from West Flemish rider Mario Delarue. After a year on that second-hand bike, I switched to my first custom-made Eddy Merckx."
"It was a red model, and I loved it. I bought the bike from Freddy Heydens, one of the most famous bike makers from Kortrijk and the surrounding area. He also worked with teams like Flandria, Splendor, Lotto, and Quickstep and accompanied the Tour countless times. He was really a great guy!"
Philip was also a decent cyclist himself. "I raced for a year with the TVH team in the under-23 category," he says. "There, I rode with an Eddy Merckx from Motorola, the team with which Lance Armstrong became world champion. I bought the bike from West Flemish rider Mario Delarue. After a year on that second-hand bike, I switched to my first custom-made Eddy Merckx."
"It was a red model, and I loved it. I bought the bike from Freddy Heydens, one of the most famous bike makers from Kortrijk and the surrounding area. He also worked with teams like Flandria, Splendor, Lotto, and Quickstep and accompanied the Tour countless times. He was really a great guy!"
Return of the passion
Philip would hang up his bike a few years later. "I started as a self-employed gardener and didn't have time anymore. After a few years, however, the cycling bug returned. I bought another Eddy Merckx, this time a cyclocross bike, at the Jowan bike shop in Kluisbergen. The temptation of the road was growing stronger..."
He eventually bought his fourth Eddy Merckx for his 50th birthday, again from Jowan. "It was time for a beautiful white Eddy Merckx. For the first time, it was equipped with Dura-Ace, and I switched to electronic shifting. It became my constant companion during holidays abroad, and Jowan even gave me the chance to ride once with the Grinta team. My son-in-law is Kosovar, so I even took my bike to ski resorts like Prevalla and Brezovica. I must have been about the first cyclist there, but it's really beautiful cycling there!"
Then Philip also bought a gravel bike. "I had already done some gravel riding, but it was still on my cyclocross bike. Actually, it wasn't suitable for that. That's why I was always exhausted after an off-road ride. When I saw a gray gravel bike from Eddy Merckx, I was immediately sold. I've ridden a lot with it since."
He eventually bought his fourth Eddy Merckx for his 50th birthday, again from Jowan. "It was time for a beautiful white Eddy Merckx. For the first time, it was equipped with Dura-Ace, and I switched to electronic shifting. It became my constant companion during holidays abroad, and Jowan even gave me the chance to ride once with the Grinta team. My son-in-law is Kosovar, so I even took my bike to ski resorts like Prevalla and Brezovica. I must have been about the first cyclist there, but it's really beautiful cycling there!"
Then Philip also bought a gravel bike. "I had already done some gravel riding, but it was still on my cyclocross bike. Actually, it wasn't suitable for that. That's why I was always exhausted after an off-road ride. When I saw a gray gravel bike from Eddy Merckx, I was immediately sold. I've ridden a lot with it since."
Retro bike
Finally, Philip also invested in a sixth Eddy Merckx, a retro bike he found through a second-hand site. "I used it for the Retro Ronde of the Centrum Ronde van Vlaanderen."
Philip regularly receives comments about his bikes. "Generally, people are very positive," he laughs. "I sometimes find it strange that many Belgians look to foreign brands, while we ourselves make great bikes. We can be proud of Merckx and his bikes. It's good that the brand has been revived. Hopefully, Belgians will support their own bike makers."
Philip regularly receives comments about his bikes. "Generally, people are very positive," he laughs. "I sometimes find it strange that many Belgians look to foreign brands, while we ourselves make great bikes. We can be proud of Merckx and his bikes. It's good that the brand has been revived. Hopefully, Belgians will support their own bike makers."
Philip's collection
White, black, red... Philip now has Eddy Merckx Bikes in all colors and for all terrains.
