A HIDDEN GEM

The search for Eddy Merckx's 1974 Worlds-winning steed was just the start of a cinematic journey for Richard Hoddinott

- Words: Simon Richardson

When in 2021 vintage bike dealer Richard Hoddinott went in search of a bike that had belonged to Eddy Merckx, he didn't realise he was scripting a story that would take him to film festivals across Europe.

Nor did he expect that the star of the story would turn out to be not the bike, hidden away in an old bike shop just outside of Manchester, but the shop's owner.

That man was 97-year-old Gerry Shields, who, at the time would still turn up to work at the shop that bore his name above the door. “Gerry did all the heaving lifting in [the film],” Hoddinott said. “We wanted to get to the Merckx bike, but ended up covering his whole life. He was into boxing, he did club singing. He was an amazing bloke.” Shields passed away in 2023.

The 20-minute film, called The Lost Merckx, is based on the premise that the bike Merckx rode to victory on in the 1974 World Championships in Montreal, Canada had, for years, been gathering dust in an upstairs room of an old bike shop. It tells the story of how Shields came by the bike via his many connections in the cycle trade. In a long interview for the film, Shields recalled in vivid detail each character, their role in the industry, and how he had come to know them.