Cycling legend Eddy Merckx, 74, has been treated in intensive care in Belgium after falling from his bike and suffering a serious head injury, the Het Nieuwsblad newspaper reported Monday.
The five-time Tour de France winner was injured Sunday during a bike outing with friends and taken to hospital in Dendermonde, the paper added.
Contacted by AFP, the hospital declined to comment on the report.
“I contacted his wife Claudine yesterday. She said he is doing well given the circumstances,” former Anderlecht footballer Paul Van Himst, a long-time friend of the cyclist, told local television.
Along with his five Tour de France titles, Merckx also won a record 34 stages. In honor of the 50th anniversary of his first victory, the 2019 Tour began in Brussels.
Merckx, whose ability to obtain big wins earned him the moniker “The Cannibal,” also won five Giro d’Italia titles, one Vuelta a España and a string of one-day classic races.
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