Eeckhout races for a week with broken vertebra

Belgian veteran Nico Eeckhout (An Post Sean Kelly)

Belgian veteran Nico Eeckhout (An Post Sean Kelly) (Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)

Niko Eeckhout's reputation as one of the toughest men in cycling was enhanced this week after it was revealed he has been competing with a broken vertebra in his past two races.