One meter of intestines away
Cycling legend Merckx had to undergo emergency surgery
April 13, 2024, 1:45 p.m
The 20th century cyclist survives a serious emergency operation: Eddie Merckx has to have a meter of his intestinal tract removed. The 78-year-old is now on the mend.
Belgium’s cycling icon Eddy Merckx had to undergo serious intestinal surgery at the end of March. As the newspaper “Het Laatste Nieuws” reports, the 78-year-old had around one meter of his intestinal tract removed during an emergency operation.
Merckx was taken to the hospital by his wife on March 26th in great pain, he reported to the paper. An intestinal obstruction was diagnosed there. The five-time tour winner has now been able to leave the hospital again. Although he has lost a lot of weight, he is recovering.
It is not the first threatening health situation that Merckx has overcome: in 2012, the three-time World Athlete of the Year (1969, 1971 and 1974) had to undergo surgery due to a heart defect, and in 2019 he fell on a bike ride with friends and hit his head badly injured.
The “cannibal” is the most successful cyclist in history, won 276 races and was three times road cycling world champion. He triumphed five times each in the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia. Together with Mark Cavendish, he is the record holder for the most stage wins in the Tour de France. He earned his nickname because of his hunger to win and his aggressive driving style. The world cycling association UCI named him the best cyclist of the 20th century.
However, Merckx was also noticed as a doper. In 1969 he was excluded from the Giro d’Italia, but protested his innocence and accused the organizers of deliberate manipulation. His ban was later lifted, so he was able to compete in the Tour de France in the same year – and win it for the first time. He also tested positive in 1973 and 1977. When he ended his career, the regular use of corticosteroids became known, and other professional cyclists also used them. This remedy relieves pain and has a euphoric effect, and it also influences the metabolism. However, it was only added to the doping list in 1980.