Eddy Merckx is back on his feet. The cycling legend underwent successful surgery on Monday for a hip fracture following a fall while cycling. “The doctor told me that the operation went well,” he told the daily Het Laatste Nieuws. “They put a new hip in me. The pain is not too bad at the moment. Monday, it was huge, but with the operation, it’s better.”
The Cannibal, 79 years old, admits “to having been afraid” at the time of his fall, the circumstances of which he recounted. “On the railway line in Hombeek (near Mechelen), my rear wheel suddenly slipped. I fell on my hip and couldn’t get up. Fortunately, a few passers-by were there. Otherwise it would have been a disaster. I was scared, yes,” said the five-time winner of the Tours of France and Italy, without losing his sense of humor. “From now on, I will drive with two small training wheels,” he said.
Merckx will begin his rehabilitation this Wednesday “with the possibility of immediately placing the entire weight of the body on the operated leg”, announced the Herentals hospital in a press release. “To treat this injury, a total hip prosthesis was fitted on Tuesday afternoon by Dr Mike Tengrootenhuysen and Professor Steven Claes. The operation went smoothly, and a full recovery is expected,” the hospital added.
The establishment explained that full recovery will take several months but that the man with 525 victories could already get back on the bike in a few weeks.
