World Champion jersey won by Eddy Merckx on Sunday 29 August 1971 on the Mendrisio circuit. Signed in felt pen by Eddy Merckx Framed under glass (frame: 87 x 87 cm) Provenance: Acquired by the current owner at a charity auction on 4 December 1990 in aid of ASBL Facere (Brussels). This iconic piece is particularly topical following the release of the feature film "Merckx" on 26 February. On 29 August 1971, Eddy Merckx, already nicknamed "The Cannibal" for his insatiable thirst for victory, masterfully won the Road World Championships in Mendrisio, Switzerland. That day, on a hilly circuit of 17.6 km, repeated to reach 268.8 km, Merckx once again demonstrated his superiority. In the penultimate lap, after some hard work by his team-mate Pintens, he attacked and took a decisive lead. The Italian Felice Gimondi tried to follow, but he already knew his fate: he didn't stand a chance against Merckx. At the finish, the Belgian won brilliantly, in a setting where 60,000 spectators watched in amazement as he demonstrated his strength. It was a symbolic victory, Merckx's 2nd world title after 1967. The 1971 season remains legendary, with 54 victories to his name, including Paris-Nice, Milan-Sanremo, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and of course the Tour de France. The world championships in Mendrisio sealed an exceptional year in which Merckx confirmed his absolute domination of cycling. The rainbow jersey he won that day was a symbol. The five coloured stripes (blue, red, black, yellow and green) recall the Olympic colours and honour the world champions. This model, signed in felt pen by Eddy Merckx himself, is a rare item, a real collector's item. At the time, Eddy was riding in the colours of the Molteni team, a legendary Italian team that accompanied his greatest successes. "I like beautiful things", said Eddy Merckx. And this jersey is one of them, embodying not only the beauty of sporting performance, but also the story of an unrivalled champion who constantly pushed back his limits.