I'm glad to see so many mentions of Merckx.
The only reason I left him off my list is that I don't think he's had as much influence outside sports as some other athletes.
But if the only criteria is total domination of a sport he's got to be in the mix.
1969 He won every classification at the Tour de France, overall winner, points(best sprinter) King of the mountains, combined, and most combative.
1974 he was the first to complete cyclings triple crown, Giro D'Italia, Tour de France, and world championship.
525 wins in 1800+ races, 445 of 1585 as a professional. 54 wins in 120 races in 1971 still the record for most wins in a season.
I doubt we'll see anything like that again in the sport, as it's become more of a team and specialists sport. The big tour winners are good at everything, but rarely great at everything.
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