“A Sunday in Hell”: Whistling Eddy looks mighty wooly

Sunday is the day we revisit “A Sunday in Hell,” which in my mind is the best cycling film ever made.

Our weekly series meets up with the riders as the Paris-Roubaix classic has just begun and the riders are spinning through the city of Chantilly. The camera finds Eddy Merckx in the peloton and starts following him as he works his way closer to the front while the race is still in its neutral zone. When he passes one of his Molteni teammates, he whistles at him. It’s a gentle warbling sound, like one made by a delicate little songbird, not by a beast of a man who was such a ruthless competitor that he was nicknamed “The Cannibal.”

The narrator says, “It’s beautiful weather but cold at this time of the morning, and the riders are wearing special arm warmers and leggings to keep warm.”

The funny thing is that Eddy seems to be the only one who’s all bundled up, as if he’s ready to ride through Siberia. He’s wearing a long-sleeve jersey or maybe they’re arm warmers. It’s hard to tell. He also has tights or leg warmers. On his feet, he’s wearing ridiculously thick rag-wool booties that reach the bottom of his calves. His garb really makes him stand out, but it also shows his age. The older you get, the more sensitive you are to the cold. Eddy is getting old and he’ll show it more later in the race.