Belgian cyclist

Henri "Rik" Van Looy (born 20 December 1933 in Grobbendonk) is a Belgian former professional cyclist of the post-war period, nicknamed the King of the Cl*ics or Emperor of Herentals (after the small Belgian city where he lived). He was twice world professional road race champion, and was the first cyclist to win all five 'Monuments': the most prestigious one-day cl*ics:– a feat since achieved by just two others (both also Belgians: Roger De Vlaeminck and Eddy Merckx). With 379 road victories he's second to Merckx only. He is ninth on the all-time list of Grand Tour stage winners with thirty-seven victories.

Contents

• 1 Career
• 2 Major results
• 3 Awards and honours
• 4 References
• 5 Further reading
• 6 External links

Career

Van Looy in 2010

Van Looy rose to prominence when he won the Belgian amateur road championship in 1952. He repeated the victory the following year, adding third place in the world *le race the same year, before turning professional. At the 1952 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal in the team road race event.

A powerful sprinter, Van Looy won two races in what was left of his first professional season (1953), and 20 more over the next couple of seasons. In 1956, his victories included Gent–Wevelgem and Paris–Brussels, plus two stages and overall victory in the Tour of the Netherlands. He also won a silver medal in the world road race championship, behind his countryman Rik Van Steenbergen. He repeated his Gent–Wevelgem and Tour of the Netherlands victories in 1957, and in 1958 won the season's opening cl*ic, Milan–San Remo.

1959 saw Van Looy take the early-season Tour of Flanders and the autumn cl*ic, the Giro di Lombardia. In between, he scored another 38 victories, including three stages of the Vuelta a España (finishing third overall and winner of the points compe*ion) and four stages of the Giro d'Italia (for 4th overall).

In 1960, he scored the first of two consecutive victories in the world road race championship, but Cl*ic victories eluded him. However, he made up for this in 1961, winning both Paris–Roubaix and Liège–Bastogne–Liège – making him the first rider to take all five 'Monuments' – as well as retaining his rainbow world *le jersey, and taking three stages, plus the mountains compe*ion, in the Giro.

Van Looy scored two more Cl*ic wins in 1962 (Paris–Roubaix, Tour of Flanders), took another Gent–Wevelgem, and two more Giro stages. In 1963 Van Looy rode the Tour de France, taking four stages en route to victory in the points compe*ion and a 10th place on general cl*ification; he also grabbed a silver in the world *le race. In the latter race, held in Ronse in his native Belgium, he was beaten in the sprint by his countryman Benoni Beheyt. Van Looy, starting the sprint too early, did not take this defeat lightly. This race has remained memorable in the history of Belgian cycling.

In 1965, he scored 42 victories including Paris–Roubaix, and eight stages of the Vuelta on his way to his second third place overall (his highest placing in a Grand Tour). For good measure, he also took two stages in the Tour de France.

During the final years of his career (1966–1970), Van Looy's road performances began to fade, as the new Belgian star Eddy Merckx rose to prominence, but he still grabbed second in the 1967 Paris–Roubaix, won La Flèche Wallonne in 1968, and took a stage of the 1969 Tour de France. His rivalry with Eddy Merckx reached the height of sabotage of Merckx in the world championships in 1969.

Van Looy was also a star on the track, winning 11 Six-day races. His first came in Brussels in 1957, his last in Antwerp in 1968. For nine of these victories, he was paired with Dutchman Peter Post.

Major results

1952:Belgium national amateur road race champion1953:Belgium national amateur road race champion1954Roubaix–Huy1956:Belgium national interclubs road race championRonde van NederlandGent–WevelgemParis–BrusselsScheldeprijs1957Six days of Brussels (with Willy Vannitsen)Coppa BernocchiGent–WevelgemRonde van NederlandScheldeprijsSchaal Sels-Merksem1958Coppa BernocchiSix Days of Ghent (with Reginald Arnold)Milano-Mantova:Belgium national interclubs road race championVuelta a España:Winner stages 4, 5B, 6, 9 and 10Milan–San RemoParis–Brussels:Belgium National Road Race Championship1959Giro d'Italia:Winner stages 1, 5, 11 and 144th place overall cl*ificationGiro di SardegnaKampioenschap van Vlaanderen – KoolskampParis–ToursTour of FlandersVuelta a España:Winner stages 1B, 8, 9 and 113rd place overall cl*ificationWinner points cl*ificationVuelta a LevanteGiro di LombardiaVolta a la Comunitat Valenciana1960Six Days of Berlin (with Peter Post)Giro d'Italia:Winner stages 7B, 8 and 11 Winner mountains cl*ificationWorld Road Race ChampionshipsSix Days of Ghent (with Peter Post)1961Six days of Antwerp (with Willy Vannitsen and Peter Post)Six days of Köln (with Peter Post)Giro d'Italia:Winner stages 13, 15 and 177th place overall cl*ificationParis–RoubaixTour of BelgiumLiège–Bastogne–LiègeWorld Road Race ChampionshipsSix days of Brussels (with Peter Post)Six Days of Ghent (with Peter Post)1962Six days of Antwerp (with Oscar Plattner and Peter Post)Six days of Berlin (with Peter Post)Six days of Dortmund (with Peter Post)Giro d'Italia:Winner stages 9 and 11Giro di SardegnaGent–WevelgemTour of FlandersParis–RoubaixGrand Prix du Parisien1963Boucles de l'AulneTour de France:Winner stages 2, 8, 13 and 2110th place overall cl*ification Winner Points cl*ification Tour de France:Belgium National Road Race Championship1964Boucles de l'AulneVuelta a España:Winner stage 2E3 Prijs VlaanderenParis–Luxembourg1965E3 Prijs VlaanderenGiro di SardegnaTour de France:Winner stages 1 and 19Vuelta a España:Winner stages 1, 2, 7, 9, 12, 14, 15 and 17Winner points cl*ification3rd place overall cl*ificationParis–Roubaix1966E3 Prijs Vlaanderen1967Paris–Tours1968La Flèche Wallonne1969Six Days of Antwerp (with Peter Post and Patrick Sercu)E3 Prijs VlaanderenTour de France:Winner stage 4:Belgium National track madison Championship (with Patrick Sercu)

Awards and honours

• Trophée Edmond Gentil: 1959
• Belgian National Sports Merit Award: 1961
• UCI Hall of Fame: 2002
• UCI Top 100: 16th place
• The only winner of all 8 Cl*ic cycle races.
• Procyclingstats.com - All Time Wins Ranking: 2nd place (162 wins)
• Honorary citizen of Grobbendonk
• Memoire du Cyclisme - Clas*t les Plus Grands Coureurs (11th place): 2002

References

Further reading

• Armstrong, David (1971). The Emperor: The Rik Van Looy Story. Silsden, UK: Kennedy Brothers. ASIN:B0006C6X94.

External links

• Rik Van Looy at Cycling Archives

TrackCyclo-crossMountain bike