Belgian cycling idol Eddy Merckx had to undergo emergency intestinal surgery at the end of March. The newspaper “Het laatste Nieuws” reported this on Saturday. Accordingly, the five-time Tour de France winner was taken to the emergency room at the hospital in Jette on the night of March 26th. The 78-year-old was immediately operated on and a large part of his intestine was removed. Merckx, who has lost a lot of weight, is now back home.
Merckx told the newspaper that he suffered greatly that night. He woke up in unbearable pain and was then taken to the emergency room by his wife. The procedure was not life-threatening.
The Belgian is the most successful professional cyclist in history. In addition to his five Tour victories, he won the Giro d’Italia five times. He also became world champion three times and won numerous classics such as Paris-Roubaix, Milan-Sanremo and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Merckx has repeatedly struggled with health problems in the past. In 2013, he had a pacemaker inserted due to a heart defect. In 2019 he worried his fans when he injured his head in a fall on his racing bike and had to be hospitalized for a few days.
