Was a victory worth twice as much at the time as you could have knocked Merckx?

The Vlaeminck: “ Of course. What could be cleaner than if you can beat the best driver in the world? Doesn't that make you happy? And I can say that because I once knocked Eddy three times in one day. In the Tour of Switzerland in ‘ 75. ’ in the morning in the sprint, ’ in the afternoon in the time trial, and then again in the final classification. In the time trial, my father was waiting one kilometer from the line. Thumb down was: you're on the back of Eddy. Thumb up: you are ahead. His thumb went down, I was a second behind, but I made another sprint and I had three seconds ahead of the line. ”

Merckx( wink ): “ That was after Blois, hey. Otherwise it would not have been true. But it is true: the cleaner victories are the ones that you can beat your competitor. I even knocked Roger once on a cinde track ( sintelbaan, ed. ), in Strasbourg in the Tour. ”
The Vlaeminck: “ I was angry there. I was unbeatable on an axis slope. I don't know what I did wrong, but at once I couldn't get past it. But yes, Eddy knocked me more. I don't mind that. Don't say something Eddy didn't win? ”