Francois George Mertens passed away on November 16, 2021 at the age of 89 in Londonderry, New Hampshire.  Mertens won the National Best All Rounder championship three times between 1951 and 1956, based on points awarded in a series of season-long races.  When the Tour of Somerville 50-mile criterium in north-central New Jersey was regarded as the most prestigious U.S. race, Mertens won it in 1951, placed in the top ten through the decade, and scored second in 1970.

Mertens was inducted into the US Bicycling Hall of Fame in 2000 in the Modern Road & Track Competitor (1945-1975) category.

For a more complete Mertens biography please visit this link