Many, many years go we went to Hawaii on vacation. My oldest daughter was at that age where we had to go into every surf shop (this was before there was an Abercrombie and Fitch or Hollister--we are talking REAL surf shops.) Everywhere we went were these bumper stickers that said, "Eddie would go." Whenever I saw one, I thought of Eddy Merckx, the greatest bicycle racer of all time.
I first met Eddy when I was 16. He and his teammate Patrick Sercu stayed at our house while visiting the velodrome (a bicycle-racing track) that my father had built in 1973. I didn't really know who he was, but I know I was 16 because my Dad asked me to be his chauffer during his visit, which I did with pleasure. He would sit in the backseat and yell "Faster! Faster!" while laughing like a naughty boy. He was fun to be around, as were most bicycle racers.
Bicycle racing is one of those sports that don't get a lot of attention--especially here in the States (Eddy Merckx is Belgian). So the people who are drawn to it tend to be a little bit passionate about the sport. You don't do it for the money or the dreams of glory like those other highly televised and highly compensated sports. You do it because you love to ride and race a bike, and you love to win.
Eddy won a lot. He won the Tour de France five times before doping was even a word. He held the hour track record for...22 years! The other week, after 33 years, I had the honor of meeting him again. He came to help us celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Bicycling magazine. I'm not sure he remembered me--after all, he's a sports superstar around the world. And I have to say, while I've had my pictures taken with a lot of Very Important People, I was more excited than I've ever been. Why? Because he truly is the greatest at something that is extremely hard, incredibly beautiful, and rewarding mainly for the honor rather than for the money. Love over gold.
I don't know much about Eddie the surfer other than that he was a big wave surfer and died doing what he loved. The phrase "Eddie would go" derived from when surfers saw a wave that was so big it seemed impossible to surf, but...Eddie would go. And that's how I think about Eddy Merckx. He wasn't afraid of anything. And that is something to admire--and it gets harder and harder to find in the sports world these days.
If you are interested in learning more about track cycling, the velodrome in Trexlertown is still thriving (it's now known as the Valley Preferred Cycling Track). What's even more awesome is that it now has an organic concession stand, so you can get organic hotdogs and cheeseburgers and fries while watching the races. It's a great place to spend a Friday night with your family (although the season just ended--you'll have to start coming out to watch next year).
For more from Maria Rodale, go to www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com.