Born on June 19 1951, Francesco Moser was one of the dominant riders from the mid 1970’s till the mid 1980’s. He won one Grand Tour title, one World Championship Road Race title, and six victories in cycling’s five monuments, including three consecutive victories in the Paris-Roubaix Classic. Moser began his professional career in 1973. He had an almost effortless pedal stroke that provided great power. Moser was an intimidating figure on the bicycle, but due to his powerful build, Moser wasn’t a gifted climber. Moser’s lasting accomplishment may be that in 1984, he broke Eddy Merckx’s 1972 hour record. However, the bike Moser used didn’t look anything like that which Eddy Merckx used and in 1997 the Union Cyclist International banned all records which were set on bikes with technological advantage over those used in 1972. The record did, however, stand for years and the attempt further opened the door to new technology in cycling. Moser retired from the professional ranks in 1987.