Merckx, who retired in 1978, was three times world champion and five times winner of the the Tour de France.
``I'm very honored ... but I'm not going to let go to my head,'' Baron Merckx was quoted as saying in Saturday's Le Soir newspaper.
Merckx, 51, now heads a company making racing bikes.
The Belgian monarch traditionally honors leading citizens ahead of the July 21 national holiday. Merckx's title is for life, but not transferable to his descendants.
1903_Maurice Garin, France
1904_Henri Cornet, France
1905_Louis Trousseller, France
1906_Rene Pottier, France
1907_Lucien Petit-Breton, France
1908_Lucien Petit-Breton, France
1909_Francois Faber, Luxembourg
1910_Octave Lapize, France
1911_Gustave Farrigou, France
1912_Odile Defraye, Belgium
1913_Phillipe Thys, Belgium
1914_Phillipe Thys, Belgium
1915-18_Tour cancelled World War I
1919_Firmin Lambot, Belgium
1920_Phillipe Thys, Belgium
1921_Leon Scieur, France
1922_Firmin Lambot, Belgium
1923_Henri Pellissier, France
1924_Ottavio Bottecchia, Italy
1925_Ottavio Bottecchia, Italy
1926_Lucian Bruysee, Belgium
1927_Nicholas Frantz, Luxembourg
1928_Nicholas Frantz, Luxembourg
1929_Maurice Dewsele, Belgium
1930_Andre Leducq, France
1931_Antonin Magne, France
1932_Andre Leducq, France
1933_Georges Speicher, France
1934_Antonin Magne, France
1935_Romain Maes, Belgium
1936_Sylvere Maes, Belgium
1937_Roger Lapeble, France
1938_Gino Bartali, Italy
1939_Sylvare Maes, Belgium
1940-46_Tour cancelled World War II
1947_Jean Robic, France
1948_Gino Bartali, Italy
1949_Fausto Coppi, France
1950_Ferdinand Kubler, Switzerland
1951_Hugo Koblet, Switzerland
1952_Fausto Coppi, France
1953_Louison Bobet, France
1954_Louison Bobet, France
1955_Louison Bobet, France
1956_Roger Walkowiak, France
1957_Jacques Anquetil, France
1958_Charly Gaul, Luxwembourg
1959_Federico Bahamontes, Spain
1960_Sastone Nencini, Italy
1961_Jacques Anquetil, France
1962_Jacques Anquetil, France
1963_Jacques Anquetil, France
1964_Jacques Anquetil, France
1965_Felice Gimondi, France
1966_Lucian Almar, France
1967_Roger Pingeon, France
1968_Jan Jansen, Netherlands
1969_Eddie Merckx, Belgium
1970_Eddie Merckx, Belgium
1971_Eddie Merckx, Belgium
1972_Eddie Merckx, Belgium
1973_Luis Ocana, Spain
1974_Eddie Merckx, Belgium
1975_Bernard Thevenet, France
1976_Lucien Van Impe, Belgium
1977_Bernard Thevenet, France
1978_Bernard Hinault, France
1979_Bernard Hinault, France
1980_Zoop Zoetemelk, the Netherlands
1981_Bernard Hinault, France
1982_Bernard Hinault, France
1983_Laurent Fignon, France
1984_Laurent Fignon, France
1985_Bernard Hinault, France
1986_Greg LeMond, United States
1987_Stephen Roche, Ireland
1988_Pedro Delgado, Spain
1989_Greg LeMond, United States
1990_Greg LeMond, United States
1991_Miguel Indurain, Spain
1992_Miguel Indurain, Spain
1993_Miguel Indurain, Spain
1994_Miguel Indurain, Spain
1995_Miguel Indurain, Spain
1996_Bjarne Riis, Denmark
Indurain, who won five consecutive Tour de France titles, did not hold the overall leader's yellow jersey for a single day this year. He finished the Tour Sunday in 11th place, 14 minutes and 14 seconds behind new champion Bjarne Riis of Denmark.
``The Tour is beating me this year,'' Indurain said earlier this week. ``I have to lose one time.''
But Indurain has legions of loyal fans. Last Wednesday some 250,000 flooded Pamplona, Spain, only 10 kilometers (six miles) from Indurain's hometown, to welcome their native son.
On Sunday, a few thousand Indurain supporters waved Spanish flags and cheered on the Champs-Elysees, though they were outnumbered by the estimated 100,000 Danes lining the broad boulevard.
``Today he was not No. 1, but in the world, he is No. 1 forever,'' said Jesus Peinado Molina, 25, who paraded down the sidewalk with five friends holding aloft a Spanish flag, chanting Indurain's name.
``Every Spaniard is for Indurain,'' said Peinado, from Jaen. ``I've shouted my voice out.''
Juan-Manuel Martinez waved flags of Spain and the Basque region from where Indurain hails.
``I don't have Eurosports (on television), so I came here to see him,'' Martinez said. ``He won five times, and came close this time, I think it's very good,'' said Martinez, who brought his wife and two sons, 10 and 13, along. ``I love him.''
The Spanish champion, who turned 32 last Tuesday, thoroughly dominated cycling's most grueling race since he first took the title in 1991.
Each victory seemed to cement ever more an image of invincibility, and many thought he would rewrite the record books and become the first man to win six Tours.
But this year, Indurain complained about cold winds and rain during the first week, and lost more than four minutes to the overall leaders in the Alps on July 6.
He lost more than 10 minutes to Riis in the tough climbing stages in the Pyrenees Mountains last Tuesday and Wednesday, his position falling from 10th overall to 12th.
He also dropped to more than 15 minutes behind Riis _ an insurmountable deficit.
He conceded defeat Tuesday, his 32nd birthday. ``I was doing my best, but I couldn't stay with them,'' he said. ``The others are better than me this year. I thought I was strong, but not this year.''
Indurain ``was beaten by the cold the first 10 days because he's only at ease when the sun is out,'' said Miguel Echavarri, team director of Indurain's Banesto team.
``We followed the same training this year as last year,'' Echavarri said in an interview published in weekend edition of the sports newspaper L'Equipe. ``What was different from 1995 was the first 10 days of rain. Miguel never got over it.''
Indurain said however he will compete in the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. It is the first year pro riders can participate in the Games, and several Tour de France riders are in the road race July 31 and the individual time trial Aug. 3.
Although Indurain finished well back in the pack, another cycling veteran came out on top Sunday. France's Jeannie Longo took the gold medal at Atlanta in the women's road race.
After it's all over, Indurain said he plans to take it easy. ``I'm going to go home and see how I feel,'' he said when asked earlier this week. ``I want to spend some time with my family for a few weeks. ''
Longo-Ciprelli, 37, overcame doubts about herself and the course and sped away in the women's road race, an overjoyed, solitary figure at the finish line, nearly a minute ahead of the exhausted and exasperated pack.
Long isolated by a tumultuous relationship with the French cycling federation and her teammates, the premier women's road racer in the world trained by herself and traveled to Atlanta on her own.
``All my expenses and preparations were up to me,'' said Longo-Ciprelli, who trained with her husband in Colorado's cool air while most of her competitors prepared in the south's scorching heat and stifling humidity.
Longo-Ciprelli, a five-time world champion in the road race, capped her magnificent 18-year career with the Olympic gold medal that long eluded her.
Racing in her fourth Olympics, Longo-Ciprelli won the rain-drenched 104.3-kilometer (64.8-mile) road race in 2 hours, 36 minutes, 13 seconds _ 25 seconds ahead of silver medalist Imelda Chiappa of Italy. Canada's Clara Hughes won the bronze in 2:36:44.
Soon, she had French President Jacques Chirac on the phone congratulating her for winning France's second gold in the first two days of Olympic competition.
``He said I represented a lot for France,'' said Longo-Ciprelli, who was upset in Barcelona by Australia's Kathryn Watt for the gold. Always the independent sort, Longo-Ciprelli has relied on her husband, Patrice Ciprelli, for coaching and training advice for several years and has isolated herself from her team.
Some cyclists scoffed when she trained with her husband in Colorado Springs, saying she'd never last in Atlanta's scorching heat. But the rain kept temperatures down and she was unaffected by the humidity.
``I was in Colorado. I like the state, mountains everywhere,'' she said. ``I wanted to get altitude ability. Besides, I thought I wasn't going to get used to the humidity.''
Besides, the heat in Colorado reached 35 degrees Celsius (95F), she said.
``But the good thing was we slept well in the altitude. It cooled down at night. I think it's better to have your body in good condition than to be in the heat and humidity and not sleep well,'' she added.
Longo-Ciprelli broke away from the pack with two other riders halfway through the race, which was hit by a downpour that caused several spills.
Fifty-eight riders representing 30 countries began the race, eight laps of a course that snaked up and down hills with tight turns through stately neighborhoods and downtown Atlanta.
Ninove, Amateurs: 1. Bracke (Bel) 165 km in 3.48.00 2. Peers (Bel) 3. Posppev (Oek) 12. Cornelisse (Ned) 15. Van Steen (Ned).
Hemiksem (Bel) Omloop van de Rupelstreek. (Eliteriders with and without contract) 1. Omloop (Bel) 177 km in 3.58.40 2. Ozers (Let) 0.11 3. Patry (Bel) 1.10 4. Kyneb (Den) 5. Spaenhoven (Bel) 6. Vansteins (Let) s.t. 22. Pijpers 3.52 25. Van Hees 38. Konings 5.05 42. Vlijm 7.00
Abdujaparov pays his own trip to Atlanta Hamburger refused offer Gan and stays with TVM Dutch Tour-stagewinners get their weight in cheese at the start of the Round of the Netherlands (Aug 27) Pantani starts on Aug 1 in Criterium Misano in Italy (after accident in Oct 1995)