Put three photographs of Eddy Merckx beside one another and cover the captions. The face may be familiar in all of them, but the jersey changes what you're looking at.
Peugeot's checkerboard belongs to the young professional. Faema's red and white places him in his first Tour-winning years. Molteni orange brings the image most closely associated with his established dominance.
His career included other teams, and no three shirts tell the entire story. But these designs make a useful route through it. They give dates and results something you can actually see.
Peugeot and the early professional years
Merckx rode for Peugeot in 1966 and 1967. In photographs from that period, the black-and-white pattern puts him into a team identity that already had its own history. A Prendas archive image shows him leading riders in Peugeot colors at the 1966 Tour of Lombardy.[1]
It is a useful correction to the idea that he was always “the man in orange.” Before Molteni, there were different teammates, equipment arrangements, and sponsor names across his chest.
The Peugeot jersey also provides a strong visual starting point for anyone who prefers a restrained color palette. Its character comes from repetition and contrast. It doesn't rely on the burnt orange that later became so closely tied to Merckx.
Faema and the first Tour victories
Faema belongs to the next chapter. The name comes from an Italian espresso-machine business, which is a helpful detail if you've ever wondered why a coffee-related word appears in old race photographs.[2]
Merckx won his first Tour de France in 1969 and followed it with another in 1970. The Tour's own historical coverage identifies Faema with that first appearance and the beginning of his remarkable run.[3]
The red-and-white design gives you a different silhouette from Peugeot: broad areas of color and a large sponsor name. For a rider interested in Merckx's arrival at the Tour, this is the team reference to investigate.
Names and arrangements changed during this period, including Faemino. If you want a particular year, compare the exact wording and panel layout with dated images rather than treating all red-and-white versions as the same shirt.
Molteni and the orange most people remember
Merckx joined Molteni in 1971. The change put his name into the same visual frame as the orange jersey and dark sponsor lettering. He won the Tour again in 1971, 1972, and 1974.[4]
The design works at a distance. In a small race photograph, the large block of orange often registers before the lettering does. It makes an especially strong contrast with the gray roads and pale landscapes that appear in so much period coverage.
Molteni is an obvious choice if you want the most familiar Merckx reference. But familiarity doesn't make it the only meaningful one. The earlier shirts show a career developing rather than a finished legend looking back at you.
Why some photographs show none of these colors
Trade-team kit isn't the whole picture. Merckx also wore classification jerseys, national colors, and the rainbow jersey of a world champion.
In the Tour, the overall leader wears yellow rather than the team's normal design. That means a photograph taken during a Molteni season may show a yellow jersey carrying commercial markings instead of a full orange shirt.[5]
The distinction is useful when buying a reproduction. A trade-team jersey refers to a team identity across the season. A classification or championship version points toward a different achievement or status. Check what the product represents before connecting it to a specific race.
Choosing your chapter
Peugeot offers the checkerboard and an earlier view of Merckx. Faema connects to the first Tour victories. Molteni gives you orange and the most widely recognized association.
You might choose the chapter you know best. Or the design may lead: a monochrome pattern you can wear with anything, a red-and-white shirt that feels balanced, an orange jersey you can spot across the parking lot.
Either is a reasonable way in. Learning the story after you've fallen for the shirt is part of the pleasure of historical cycling clothing.
Compare the Peugeot, Faema, and Molteni collections to see how different the same rider's team identities can look.
Sources
1. Cycling Museum — Eddy Merckx Team Record and Prendas — Peugeot Cycling Team. Merckx-era team dates and photograph context.
2. Faema — Official Website. Sponsor business identification.
3. Tour de France — A Feast Fit for a Cannibal. First Tour and Faema association.
4. Tour de France — A Day in Yellow with Marinus Wagtmans and Car 101 Part Two. Molteni arrival and five Tour-winning years.
5. Tour de France — The Yellow Jersey. Classification-jersey distinction.