Overview
- The 80-year-old cycling great is hospitalized with a hip infection that has not improved on antibiotic treatment, and another operation is under consideration.
- Merckx told Belgian daily Het Laatste Nieuws that doctors have not identified the infection’s source and that he expects to undergo surgery again.
- The latest complication traces back to a late‑2024 bicycle fall at a level crossing that fractured his hip and led to six operations, including replacing an initially poorly fixed prosthesis.
- During a hospital stay in Antwerp last autumn, he also suffered a mild stroke, further lengthening his recovery.
- Expressing fatigue with the setbacks, Merckx said he has had enough, as La Gazzetta dello Sport reported from his Belgian interview and noted the situation remains developing.