Eddy Merckx at home after undergoing successful intestinal surgery in late March

Eddy Merckx successfully underwent emergency surgery for an intestinal obstruction in late March, according to Het Laatste Nieuws. The Belgian has since returned home after a short spell at the university hospital in Jette, near Brussels.

The 78-year-old was brought to hospital by his wife Claudine after experiencing stomach pain during the night of March 26. He was operated on at 3am that night to remove a section of his intestine.

Merckx told Het Laatste Nieuws that he had woken up in extreme pain on the night in question, but that his life was never in danger. Although Merckx lost considerable weight after the surgery, the newspaper described his recovery as “peaceful.”

Merckx, who will turn 79 in June, was recently honoured with a mural in his birthplace of Meensel-Kiezegem. The five-time Tour de France winner moved to Sint-Pieters-Woluwe in Brussels with his family when he was a year old.

The mural depicts Merckx in Molteni kit, with the number 525 prominent to mark his record number of victories.

“It’s a great honour,” Merckx said at the inauguration last month. “My parents’ home is just 50 metres away. It’s wonderful to receive such a tribute after so many years in the sport."

“I also rode my first race here when I was 12 years old. I remember being caught and winning the sprint against the boy who rode to the finish with me.”