Eddy Merckx at the start(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Aerodynamic performance wasn't nearly as much a concern back in the Merckx era as it is today.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
1971 Worlds: Eddy Merckx (Belgium) outsprints Felice Gimondi (Italy) to win his second world championship in Mendrisio, Switzerland(Image credit: AFP)
Cycling legend Eddy Merckx has been undergoing tests after suffering from heart problems last weekend, according to Het Laatste Nieuws. Cardiologist Professor Pedro Brugada has been examining Merckx for the past two days after he was taken to hospital.
The Belgian cyclist - whose achievements list five Tours de France, seven victories at Milan-San Remo, and one world title, among many others – suffered a sudden blood pressure drop and collapsed while at home. There are suggestions that he may have lost consciousness during the incident.
A friend of the cyclist Paul Van Himst told the paper that it was “not so serious” and that everything was under control.
Merckx was fitted with a pace maker in March of last year to try and fix his cardiac arrhythmia. A problem that Merckx suffered with throughout his career.
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