Eddy Merckx to sell his bike brand and retire

Belgian sportspaper Sportwereld.be has reported that Eddy Merckx will sell the shares of his bicycle company and retire, a story picked up by Cyclingnews.com.

Merckx started his brand in 1980.

The Cannibal said: "If you’ve built something yourself, it’s always painful to say goodbye to it. But I had no other choice because I do not have a successor who can take over the plant.

"I’ve been working since I was 17 – first as a cyclist, then in 1980 in the bicycle factory. The daily management gradually began to weigh on me."

Merckx will a minority share and stay on as a consultant to Sobradis CEO, Pieter Vansynghel.