Eddy Merckx became the sixth rider to have a cobbled section of Paris-Roubaix named after him.

The 1.8-km Camphine-en-Pevere section, which first became part of Paris-Roubaix in 1980, two years after Merckx retired, is now known as the Eddy Merckx section.

The Belgian will be followed by three winners from the northern hell, Frédéric Guédon, Marc Madiot, John Degenkolb, Bernard Hinault, and Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle, all of whom already have sectors on the Paris-Roubaix course.

"It's been 50 years since I last won Paris-Roubaix, and it's great to see so many people like this," Merckx said.

"It's an emotional moment. This is how I can be immortalized," Merckx told sporza.be (opens in new tab) prior to the unveiling of a pillar with a plaque bearing his name at the start of Canfin en Pevere.

Mont-en-Pévert is the "fifth section" of this year's 29 cobbled sections, which will be counted down during the 256.6km race. It is 19 km from the finish of Roubaix and, given Merckx's nationality, is only 500 m from the French-Belgian border.

In an interview with Francebleu.fr (opens in new tab), Merckx reflected on his three Roubaix victories and said that the 1973 race was particularly tough, with lots of rain.

"It's a very tough and special race, just like the Queen of the Classics. You have to be strong, skillful, and know how to absorb the impact of the cobblestones," Merckx said of Paris-Roubaix.

"After the race, my joints are sore and achy, and it takes a few days to recover. I remember very well how much my hands and back hurt after every race." [The first win was because I was wearing the world champion's jersey, the second was because I won by more than five minutes, a difference that no one had achieved before. All three were different, all three were incredible."

The ceremony was attended by various former professional athletes, including Australian Stuart O'Grady, the 2007 Paris-Roubaix winner and race director of the Tour Down Under.