This was a surprise. We came upon this amazing sculpture of Eddy Merckx emerging from a huge slab of rock in the forest shade at the top of the Col du Stockeu. In one of the rare departures from the exact stage route our team had to descend the equally steep Route de Somagne into the town of Stavelot because the Trophée des Petits Patelins was staging a race on the Stockeu. Between the Merckx statue and the fleet of sleek gravity racers, it was a very surreal scene.