Arguably the greatest cyclist of all-time, the now 79-year-old Eddy Merckx remains an active rider around his home roads in Belgium. Sadly, the five-time Tour de France winner has been left hospitalised after a crash near his home on Monday afternoon.
“There were no other road users involved,” explains Merckx's wife Claudine of the incident to Het Nieuwsblad. “Eddy just skidded away. Luckily, he wasn’t alone, because Eddy felt a sharp pain. He knew right away what time it was, and that suspicion was also confirmed in the hospital: he broke his hip. Eddy now has to undergo surgery.”
Onlookers at the scene quickly called for medical for Merckx, who was then rushed away in an ambulance to be treated. As mentioned by Claudine, a broken hip seems the end result of the 79-year-old's injuries, with surgery required to properly fix the damage caused.
Coincidently, the biggest name in modern Belgian cycling, double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel is also currently out of action after a training crash. The Soudal - Quick-Step leader crashed on a training ride in Belgium last week, colliding with the opening door of a BPost van and being left with broken bones and a dislocated collarbone among others injuries, with the former Vuelta a Espana champion set for up to eight weeks off-bike according to team boss Patrick Lefevere.
Best wishes to Merckx from all associated with CyclingUpToDate.com
Eddy Merckx 🇧🇪 victime d'une chute à vélo 😳🤯
— Cyclisme Belge 🇧🇪 (@LeCyclismebelge) December 9, 2024
Notre légende va être opérée suite à une francture de la hanche... 👀
Bon Rétablissement Eddy !! ✨️
ℹ️ DH pic.twitter.com/hsUYGV4mT7
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
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- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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