Milano Sanremo 1976, Merckx’s Magnificent Seventh

On Saturday, a new page of the rich history of Milano-Sanremo will be written on the Italian Riviera, as the likes of Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar, and other modern champions put their wheels in the tracks of giants such as Eddy Merckx. It is only fitting for the Primavera to be raced on 21 March, to kick off a thrilling spring of racing, as per tradition. But the 2026 rendezvous in Sanremo especially echoes the 1976 edition of the race, one of the most defining in the record books of the Classicissima, of Merckx, and of cycling in general.

On 19 March 1976, exactly 50 years ago today, the Belgian icon crossed the line victoriously on Sanremo’s Via Roma. Half a century later, cycling enthusiasts who did not witness Mercxk’s brilliance and dominance might think this was just one of his many, many successes. Another line on a list of wins and accomplishments so comprehensive that it’s hard to grasp its true magnitude. But this day was not like any other Merckx victory. It marked an apotheosis, a culmination, and an ending.

Battling with Girardengo, Maertens and De Vlaeminck

An irresistible force celebrated for his physical strength and his obstinate character, Merckx was frustrated as he headed into his ninth Milano-Sanremo, the Classic that best illustrated his Cannibalism. Over the Capi and the Poggio, he had taken his first major success, in 1966, at 20 years old. He went on to win the race again in 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1976. In the history books, only one Campionissimo stood at his level, Costante Girardengo, who had also claimed six Sanremo titles between 1918 and 1928.

Now, the attention was on Merckx, but the stories recounted how little success he had had so far that season (1 stage of Tirreno Adriatico, compared to 23 wins the year before, with 5 already before storming the Via Roma) while his countrymen Roger De Vlaeminck and Freddy Maertens shone. At 30 years old, was Merckx declining? Yes, and no, as he proved en route to Sanremo.

Merckx: “In fact, I was slowly beginning my decline”

On 19 March 1976, Merckx had all the attributes of the Cannibal: will, skills, speed, grit, power, mastery… Over the Capo Berta, some fifteen riders emerged at the front. Too many for the Belgian ruler, who attacked again and again, and eventually broke his rivals’ resistance as they tackled the climb of the Poggio. Jean-Luc Vandenbroucke (who would later be disqualified for doping) impressed as he bridged the gap to Merckx on the ascent. The two men stuck together until the end, but the elder pressured his much younger rival on the downhill and perfectly manoeuvred the finale to claim yet another iconic record: seven wins in the same Monument.

“From then on, in fact, I was slowly beginning my decline,“ Merckx observed decades later. Sanremo had given him his second win as a professional, after the 1965 Omloop van het Houtland Torhout. He still claimed nine more wins after his last Primavera, but none that would change the scale of his accomplishments. None that could compare with his Magnificent Seven Milano-Sanremo triumphs.