Oliver Naesen rides steel Eddy Merckx bike on the Champs Elysees

What do Eddy Merckx and Oliver Naesen have in common? Both  have ridden a steel bike during the final stage of the Tour de France. 

Just like Merckx, who won his first Tour de France 50 years ago, Oliver Naesen is competing today on a steel bike.

Is Naesen racing on a retro steel bike? No, far from it. Modern high-end steel has come a long way and the material he is racing today can hardly be compared to the steel of Merckx's day.

The stage marks the official launch of the Eddy Merckx MyCorsa project.

AG2R La Mondiale rider Naesen has been racing with the Eddy Merckx Stockeu69 – a carbon fibre model – for the entire season.

However, for the final stage of this Tour de France, he is swapping that bike for the Eddy Merckx Corsa Road Rim.

The Eddy Merckx company is now owned by Race Productions NV, the owner of Ridley - Merckx sold his remaining shares in the business in 2014, although he is still brand ambassador. 

The company say that the “MyCorsa project gives real steel lovers the opportunity to tweak their frame with external bearings and internal cables, among other features.”

With three designs and 42 colours to choose from, you can put together a bike that is designed for your specific geometry.

Naesen’s bike, the Eddy Merckx Corsa is welded from a combination of Columbus Xcr (stainless steel) and Spirit HSS (high-quality, lightweight steel). 

The design contains a few clear references to the bike with which Merckx won the Tour of 1969.

The bike that Naesen will ride is assembled with:

Mavic Cosmic Pro Carbon wheels
Vredestein Fortezza Senso T tyres
Rotor 2inPower crank
KMC chain
Shimano Dura Ace mechanical group set
DEDA SuperZero handlebar and stem
DEDA Zero100 seat post
Fizik Antares R1 saddle
Look Keo Blade Carbon pedals

A frame-fork set starts from EUR 3,299. Find more information at www.mycorsa.com.