Cycling great Eddy Merckx breaks a hip in bike crash

By The Associated Press

Former Belgian cycling champion Eddy Merckx is pictured during the podium ceremony after the 21st and last stage of the Tour de France cycling race, Sunday, July 29, 2018 in Paris. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Laurent Rebours]

BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgian media is reporting that cycling great Eddy Merckx has broken a hip in a crash while bike riding with friends. The Het Nieuwsblad newspaper has quoted his family and says the 79-year-old Merckx will undergo surgery at Herentals hospital. Other Belgian media have also reported Merckx’s crash. Merckx is regarded as the greatest cyclist ever. He won five Tour de France titles. Known as “The Cannibal” for his appetite for winning, Merckx also won five Giro d’Italia titles, one Spanish Vuelta and a string of one-day classic races.