Cycling great Eddy Merckx broke a hip in a crash while bike riding, Belgian media reported on Tuesday (AEDT).
The 79-year-old was cycling with a group when the crash happened near Hombeek in Belgium.
The Het Nieuwsblad newspaper said the 79-year-old Merckx would undergo surgery at Herentals hospital, according to comments made by the family.
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Merckx’s wife Claudine labelled the incident as a “stupid accident” with “no other road users involved.”
“Eddy just skidded away,” she said.
Former cycling champion Eddy Merckx stands on stage following stage one of the Tour de France July 4, 2010 Getty
“He immediately knew he had [done] something. He felt a lot of pain.”
Merckx is regarded as the greatest cyclist ever. He won five Tour de France titles and three world championships.
Known as “The Cannibal” for his appetite for winning, Merckx also won five Giro d’Italia titles, one Spanish Vuelta and a string of one-day races, including all five Monument classics.
Merckx retired in 1978.
