Brussels - Lucien Van Impe, the 1976 Tour de France winner, is in hospital recovering from a heart attack suffered last Friday, Belgian media reported on Monday.
The 70-year-old Belgian underwent surgery and was said to be out of danger although his condition is not yet stable, the Belga press agency reported.
Van Impe started and finished 15 editions of the Tour de France and his house in Flanders, Belgium, is called "Alpe D'Huez", after the mountain where he first took the yellow jersey in his Tour-winning year of 1976.
Van Impe is most often remembered in a polka dot jersey as he won the Tour de France king of the mountains title six times.