In 1969, Eddy Merckx’s debut in the Tour de France was sensational. On his first participation, he won with ease, authority and panache, then brought back the Yellow Jersey on the Grand-Place of Brussels, after 30 years of dearth for the Belgians in the Tour’s prize list. Fifty years later, on the occasion of the Grand Départ of the 2019 Tour, the entire nation continues to pay tribute to the five-time winner of the event, whose multiple records in the history of cycling still seem inaccessible.
In This Story: France
France is a republic and the largest Western European nation. Through expansion and colonisation in the 17th and 18th centuries France became a great power and still retains territories around the world. It has a seat on the UN security council and is the world’s fourth most wealthy country with a high standard of living and strong cultural identity.
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