He points out that Eddy Merckx, Belgium's five-time Tour de France winner, said no other country did youth development in cycling like Colombia.

BBC: Giro team revives Colombia's passion for pedalling

But, no, the name is actually an homage to the legendary Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx, and also a sidelong way for the owner, Christian Pappanicholas, a cycling fanatic who owns Resto, the Belgian restaurant next door, to summon the spirit of the hard-core carnivore.

NEWYORKER: The Cannibal

It was long thought that doping was rife in professional cycling (five-time Tour winner Eddy Merckx once said that the Tour was not won on sandwiches and mineral water), but the eventual admission of France's top rider Richard Virenque and team masseur Willy Voet confirmed it.

BBC: Battle against drug peddlers continues