The tenderness of a gesture, the emotion of two men. Eddy Merckx turns 81 today. And his son Axel chose to pay tribute to him on social media by posting a beautiful photo - the father adjusting the tie of his 53-year-old son who is about to get married - accompanied by a dedication: «Happy 81st birthday. 81 years of strength and love. I am grateful to you for all the teachings, the fun moments and the memories. We celebrate you today and always. You are a true legend».

Many, as always, calls from Italy as well (Ernesto Colnago, Cristiano De Rosa, Italo Zilioli, Marino Vigna, Federico Zecchetto, among many others) reached Eddy this morning to wish him happy birthday: with a bright voice and high spirits, the great champion responded as always with enthusiasm. The only small complaint? Still limited mobility due to the well-known hip problems, but have you ever seen a champion like Merckx give up? So then, happy birthday, Eddy!