Lucien Van Impe, the last Belgian winner of the Tour de France, suffered a heart attack on Friday. VTM Nieuws announced this on Monday.The former cyclist was immediately operated upon in a hospital in Alost. The same source added, Van Impe, aged 70, is out of danger but he is not yet stable.
Lucien Van Impe won the Tour de France in 1976. He is the last Belgian to feature in the rankings of the major race. He scooped the mountains classification six times and landed nine stage victories.
Apart from his final victory in 1976, Van Impe held a podium position four times, second in 1981 and third in 1971, 1975 and 1977. He also won the mountains classification of the Giro d’Italia in 1982 and 1983.
After his cycling career, Van Impe became a team manager.
The Brussels Times
