Eddy Merckx has been taken to hospital in Herentals, Belgium and faces surgery after a crash during a bike ride, which resulted in a broken hip.
He was riding on a road on the west side of Mechelen when he fell to the tarmac, his wife Claudine Merckx told Het Nieuwsblad, who described it as "a stupid accident".
"There was no other road user involved, Eddy just slipped out,” Claudine Merckx confirmed to Het Nieuwsblad.
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"Luckily he wasn’t alone, because Eddy felt a sharp pain. He knew right away what had happened. That suspicion was also confirmed in the hospital: he broke his hip. Eddy now has to undergo surgery.”
Merckx is widely recognised as the most successful rider in the history of men's professional cycling and was nicknamed 'The Cannibal' for his aggression and dominance during his racing career. He remains an ionic figure in the sport, especially in Belgium, where his accident was huge news.
His 525 victories include eleven Grand Tours, including five Tour de France victories. He won all five Monument Classics, set a new Hour Record in Mexico, won three road world championships and every major one-day race other than Paris-Tours.
The 79-year-old hit the ground hard while riding along Bankstraat in Hombeek, on the west side of Mechelen and just north of his home near Brussels. He was the only cyclist involved.
"He skidded on a bend. He was in great pain right away and was taken to the hospital. He will have a new artificial hip," his sister told Sporza.
It was not known if weather conditions attributed to the accident, as the area experienced typically overcast skies and cool temperatures close to 5°C.
The medical facility where Merckx was taken Monday was reported by Belgian media to be the same one that treated Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) a week ago for a fractured collarbone suffered in a training crash.
In April this year, Merckx was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery when he experienced stomach pain and had a section of his intestine removed for an obstruction.
Three months later Merckx was in the spotlight again when Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) broke his record of 34 Tour de France stage wins, going one better with a 35th stage win in Saint Vulbas. Merckx congratulated Cavendish via a social media post.
