Major honours
An Italian team backed by Brianza salami maker Molteni, founded in 1958 and first established by Gianni Motta's 1966 Giro win. But the team's place in cycling history rests on signing Eddy Merckx in 1971. Racing in the orange jersey from 1971 to 1976, Merckx won three Tours (1971, 1972, 1974), three Giros (1972, 1973, 1974), one Vuelta (1973) and two world titles (1971, 1974) for the team, adding four Milan-San Remo wins, four Liege-Bastogne-Liege wins, two Il Lombardia wins and one each of Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders in Molteni colours. It was also in this jersey that he set the Hour Record of 49.431km in Mexico City in 1972. The team's structure is considered the first ever built entirely around a single rider, and when the sponsor withdrew in 1976, the organisation disbanded with it.
Record comparison
Bars are scaled to the strongest team in this list.
Club legends
Rivalry
On Italian roads in the 1970s, the rival was Felice Gimondi's Bianchi; on Belgian cobbles, it was Roger De Vlaeminck's Brooklyn. Both men lost to Merckx again and again, but De Vlaeminck's hold on Paris-Roubaix was one prize Merckx never took from him.