Eddy Merckx has been taken to hospital in Herentals, Belgium and faces surgical procedure after a crash throughout a motorbike journey, which resulted in a damaged hip.
He was driving on a highway on the west aspect of Mechelen when he fell to the tarmac, his spouse Claudine Merckx advised Het Nieuwsblad, who described it as “a silly accident”.
“There was no different highway consumer concerned, Eddy simply slipped out,” Claudine Merckx confirmed to Het Nieuwsblad.
“Fortunately he wasn’t alone, as a result of Eddy felt a pointy ache. He knew straight away what had occurred. That suspicion was additionally confirmed within the hospital: he broke his hip. Eddy now has to bear surgical procedure.”
Merckx is extensively recognised as essentially the most profitable rider within the historical past of males’s skilled biking and was nicknamed ‘The Cannibal’ for his aggression and dominance throughout his racing profession. He stays an ionic determine within the sport, particularly in Belgium, the place his accident was enormous information.
His 525 victories embody eleven Grand Excursions, together with 5 Tour de France victories. He gained all 5 Monument Classics, set a brand new Hour File in Mexico, gained three highway world championships and each main one-day race apart from Paris-Excursions.
The 79-year-old hit the bottom onerous whereas driving alongside Bankstraat in Hombeek, on the west aspect of Mechelen and simply north of his house close to Brussels. He was the one bicycle owner concerned.
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“He skidded on a bend. He was in nice ache straight away and was taken to the hospital. He could have a brand new synthetic hip,” his sister advised Sporza.
It was not identified if climate situations attributed to the accident, as the world skilled sometimes overcast skies and funky temperatures shut to five°C.
The medical facility the place Merckx was taken Monday was reported by Belgian media to be the identical one which handled Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) per week in the past for a fractured collarbone suffered in a coaching crash.
In April this 12 months, Merckx was rushed to hospital for emergency surgical procedure when he skilled abdomen ache and had a bit of his gut eliminated for an obstruction.
Three months later Merckx was within the highlight once more when Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) broke his document of 34 Tour de France stage wins, going one higher with a thirty fifth stage win in Saint Vulbas. Merckx congratulated Cavendish by way of a social media publish.