Only three riders in the history of the Tour de France have managed the incredible feat of winning eight stages in a single edition. Among them is the legendary Eddy Merckx, who achieved this milestone twice, in 1970 and 1974. The other two are Charles Pélissier (1930) and Freddy Maertens (1976).
Charles Pélissier (1930)
Charles Pélissier, the youngest member of the renowned Pélissier family, was often compared to movie star Rudolf Valentino, as noted by German scholar Hans-Ulrich Gumbrecht in his book 1926. Pélissier dominated the flat stages of the 1930 Tour de France, a groundbreaking year in which national teams competed for the first time. The overall winner that year was fellow Frenchman André Leducq.
Pélissier’s performance was extraordinary: he won eight stages, finished second seven times, and placed third three times, making him a top-three finisher in 18 of the 21 stages. However, he struggled in the mountains, losing significant time in the Pyrenees and the Alps. Despite this, he managed to win a stage that included the climbs of Port d’Aspet and Puymorens. (It was a bunch sprint, with several cyclists finishing in the same time.)
Over his career, Pélissier won a total of 16 Tour de France stages. Though his later participations were less spectacular, he still claimed five stage wins in 1931 and wore the yellow jersey for a few days that year.
Eddy Merckx (1970 and 1974)
Eddy Merckx’s dominance in the Tour de France is unparalleled, and his eight stage wins in both 1970 and 1974 stand as testaments to his versatility and strength. The 1970 edition marked his second overall victory, while 1974 was his fifth—and final—Tour win.
In 1970, the Tour featured an unusually high number of time trials, with five individual time trials and a team time trial on the program. This partly explains how Merckx, even by modern standards, could dominate so thoroughly. He won four of the five individual time trials, along with a flat stage and three mountain stages, including the iconic ascent to Mont Ventoux.
After skipping the 1973 Tour to focus on completing the Vuelta-Giro double—a first in cycling history—Merckx returned to the Tour in 1974 to claim his fifth victory, equaling the record of Jacques Anquetil. That year, Merckx won eight stages: three flat stages, three mountain stages, and two individual time trials.
Freddy Maertens (1976)
Freddy Maertens’ eight stage wins in the 1976 Tour de France are particularly remarkable given that the route was more suited to climbers, such as Lucien Van Impe, who ultimately won the race.
Despite this, Maertens excelled in the stages that played to his strengths. He won three individual time trials, four flat stages, and even managed to take a hilly stage. His sprinting prowess and time-trialing ability made him a standout in what was otherwise a climber’s Tour.