Rik Van Looy
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 Classics 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 classics – 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.
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Career
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 title race the same year, before turning professional. At the 1952 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal in the team road race event.[1]
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 classic, Milan–San Remo.
1959 saw Van Looy take the early-season Tour of Flanders and the autumn classic, 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 competition) 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 Classic 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 title jersey, and taking three stages, plus the mountains competition, in the Giro.
Van Looy scored two more Classic 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 competition and a 10th place on general classification; he also grabbed a silver in the world title 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.[2]
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
Road
- 1952
- National Road Championships
- 1st
Amateur road race
- 1st
- Olympic Games
- 1st
Team road race
- 1st
- 1st Omloop der Vlaamse Gewesten (amateurs)
- 2nd Brussels-Opwijk
- 1953
- National Road Championships
- 1st Amateur road race
- 1st
- 1st Ronde van Midden-Nederland
- 1st Heistse Pijl
- 1st stage 5 Tour of Austria
- 1st Omloop Het Volk U23
- UCI Road World Championships
- 3rd
Amateur road race
- 3rd
- 1954
- 1st Roubaix–Huy
- 1st stage 3a Driedaagse van Antwerpen
- 1st Berchem
- 2nd Overall Tour of Belgium
- 1955
- 1st Omloop van Oost-Vlaanderen
- 2nd Heistse Pijl
- 3rd Omloop van Midden-België
- 1956
- UCI Road World Championships
- 2nd
Road race
- 2nd
- National Road Championships
- 1st Interclubs road race
- 1st
- 1st
Overall Tour of the Netherlands
- 1st stages 3, 4b and 6
- 1st Gent–Wevelgem
- 1st Paris–Brussels
- 1st Scheldeprijs
- 1st De Drie Zustersteden
- 1st Overall Driedaagse van Antwerpen
- 1st stages 2a and 2b
- 1st Vijfbergenomloop
- 1st GP van Brasschaat
- 2nd Nationale Sluitingsprijs
- 2nd Heistse Pijl
- 2nd Omloop van de Fruitstreek
- 1957
- 1st Overall Tour of the Netherlands
- 1st stages 2, 3a, 3b and 6a
- 1st Coppa Bernocchi
- 1st stage 5 Roma–Napoli–Roma
- 1st Gent–Wevelgem
- 1st Scheldeprijs
- 1st Schaal Sels-Merksem
- 1st Omloop van Oost-Vlaanderen
- 1st GP Roeselare
- 1st GP van Brasschaat
- Driedaagse van Antwerpen
- 1st stages 3a and 3b
- 2nd Classica Sarda
- 2nd Circuit des Trois Provinces
- 2nd Omloop van Midden-België
- 3rd Circuit of Houtland
- 1958
- National Road Championships
- 1st Road race
- 1st Interclubs road race
- 1st
- Vuelta a España:
- 1st stages 4, 5b, 6, 9 and 10
- 1st Milan–San Remo
- 3rd Overall Giro di Sardegna
- 1st stage 3
- Vuelta a Levante
- 1st stages 1, 3 (TTT), 4 and 8
- 1st Milan–San Remo
- 1st Coppa Bernocchi
- 1st Milano-Mantova
- 1st Paris–Brussels
- 2nd Overall Driedaagse van Antwerpen
- 1st stage 3
- 1st stage 2b Grand Prix Marvan
- 1st GP Stekene
- 2nd Gent–Wevelgem
- 2nd Omloop Het Volk
- 3rd Paris–Roubaix
- 3rd Giro di Sardegna
- 3rd Nationale Sluitingsprijs
- 1959
- 4rd Overall Giro d'Italia
- 1st stages 1, 5, 11 and 14
- 3rd Overall Vuelta a España
- 1st stages 1b, 8, 9 and 11
Winner poins classification
- 1st
Overall Giro di Sardegna
- 1st stages 2, 4 and 6
- 1st Championship of Flanders – Koolskamp
- 1st Paris–Tours
- 1st Tour of Flanders
- 1st Overall Vuelta a Levante
- 1st stages 2, 6, 7
- 1st Giro di Lombardia
- 1st Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
- 1st GP Stad Vilvoorde
- 1st Tielt-Antwerpen-Tielt
- 3rd Super Prestige Pernod
- 1960
- UCI Road World Championships
- 1st
Road race
- 1st
- 4th Overall Giro d'Italia
- 1st stages 7b, 8 and 11
- Winner mountains classification
- Giro di Sardegna
- 1st stages 4 and 5
- 1st stage 2a Driedaagse van Antwerpen
- 1st Ronde van Brabant
- Paris–Nice
- Winner Points classification
- 1st stage 2 (TTT), 5 and 8b
- 2nd Sassari-Cagliari
- 2nd Week-end ardennais
- 3rd Tour of Flanders
- 3rd Critérium des As
- 1961
- UCI Road World Championships
- 1st Road race
- 1st
- 7th Overall Giro d'Italia
- 1st stages 13, 15 and 17
- 1st
Overall Tour of Belgium
- 1st stages 4a and 4b
- Giro di Sardegna
- 1st stages 2 and 6
- Paris–Nice
- Winner Points classification
- 1st stages 7 and 8
- 1st Paris–Roubaix
- 1st Liège–Bastogne–Liège
- 1st Critérium des As
- 1st Bol d'Or des Monédières
- 1st Overall Week-end ardennais
- 1st Heusden Koers
- 2nd Milan–San Remo
- 3rd Super Prestige Pernod
- 1962
- Tour de France
- 1st stage 2b (TTT)
- Giro d'Italia
- 1st stages 9 and 11
- 1st Overall Giro di Sardegna
- 1st stages 3 and 5b
- Paris–Nice
- Winner Points classification
- 1st stages 7b and 9b
- 1st Gent–Wevelgem
- 1st Tour of Flanders
- 1st Paris–Roubaix
- 1st Grand Prix du Parisien (TTT)
- Tour of Belgium
- Winner Points classification
- 1st stages 3 and 4a (TTT)
- 1st Critérium de Boulogne-sur-Mer
- 1st Textielprijs Vichte
- 1st Memorial Fred De Bruyne
- 2nd Schelde-Dender-Leie
- 3rd Eschborn–Frankfurt
- 3rd Omloop van Oost-Vlaanderen
- 1963
- UCI Road World Championships
- 2nd Road race
- 2nd
- National Road Championships
- 1st Road race
- 1st
- 10th Overall Tour de France
- 1st stages 2, 8, 13 and 21
- Winner points classification
Winner combativity award
- 2nd Overall Giro di Sardegna
- 1st stage 4
- 3rd Overall Paris–Nice
- Winner Points classification
- 1st stages 1, 4 and 8
- Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
- 1st stages 2 and 5
- 1st Boucles de l'Aulne
- 1st Omloop der Vlaamse Gewesten
- 2nd Paris Roubaix
- 3rd Critérium des As
- 1964
- 1st Overall Paris–Luxembourg
- 1st stage 2
- 1st Boucles de l'Aulne
- 1st stage 4 Tour of Belgium
- Vuelta a España
- 1st stage 2
- 1st stage 4b Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
- 1st stage 4 Giro di Sardegna
- 1st Harelbeke-Antwerpen-Harelbeke
- 1st Bruxelles–Meulebeke
- 1st Textielprijs Vichte
- 2nd Paris–Brussels
- 2nd Paris–Tours
- 2nd Championship of Flanders
- 2nd Ronde van Brabant
- 3rd Gent–Wevelgem
- 1965
- Tour de France:
- 1st stages 1 and 19
- 3rd Overall Vuelta a España
- Held after Stages 1a and 1b
- 1st stages 1, 2, 7, 9, 12, 14, 15 and 17
- Winner poins classification
- Held
- Tour de Luxembourg
- 1st stages 1, 2b and 4
- 1st Overall Giro di Sardegna
- 1st stages 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6
- 1st Harelbeke-Antwerpen-Harelbeke
- 1st Paris–Roubaix
- 1st Elfstedenronde
- 1st Classica Sarda
- 1st stage 4b Tour du Sud-Est
- 1st stage 2 Tour of Belgium
- 1st Bruxelles–Meulebeke
- 1st Flèche enghiennoise
- 1st GP Ninove
- 1st Heusden Koers
- 3rd Liederkerkse Pijl
- 1966
- 1st stage 4 Paris–Nice
- 1st stage 3 Tour de Luxembourg
- 3rd Overall Tour of the Netherlands
- 1st stage 2
- 1st Harelbeke-Antwerpen-Harelbeke
- 1st Omloop van de Fruitstreek
- 1st stage 2 Tour of Belgium
- 2nd Paris–Tours
- 2nd Omloop van Midden-België
- 3rd Paris-Brussels
- 1967
- Tour de France
- 1st stage 5
- 1st Paris–Tours
- 1st stage 2 Giro di Sardegna
- 1st stage 4 Paris–Nice
- Tour of Belgium
- Winner Points classification
- 1st Omloop van de Fruitstreek
- 1st GP Briek Schotte
- 2nd Paris–Roubaix
- 2nd Circuit of Houtland
- 2nd Flèche enghiennoise
- 2nd Wezembeek-Oppem
- 2nd Trofee Luc Van Biesen
- 1968
- 1st La Flèche Wallonne
- 1st Seraing–Aachen–Seraing
- 1st Rotheux-Aix-Rotheux
- 1st Critérium de Boulogne-sur-Mer
- 2nd Flèche enghiennoise
- 3rd Championship of Flanders
- 3rd Halle–Ingooigem
- 1969
- Tour de France:
- 1st stage 4
- 1st E3 Prijs Vlaanderen
- 1st Omloop van de Grensstreek
- 1st Omloop der Zennevallei
- 1st Heistse Pijl
- 1st GP Briek Schotte
- 1970
- 1st Kessel–Lier
Track
- 1953
- 1st Omnium of Antwerp, 10 Jan
- 1st Omnium of Antwerp, 24 Jan
- 1st Omnium of Antwerp, 13 Feb
- 1956
- 1st Omnium of Rocourt
- 1st Omnium of Brussels
- 3rd Six Days of Brussels (with Lucien Acou)
- 1957
- 1st Six Days of Brussels (with Willy Vannitsen)
- 1st Omnium of Antwerp
- 1st Omnium of Brussels
- 1st Omnium of Gent, 29 Sep
- 1st Omnium of Gent, 1 Nov
- 1958
- 1st Six Days of Ghent (with Reginald Arnold)
- 1st Omnium of Milan
- 1st Omnium of Gent
- 1st Omnium of Brussels
- 1st Omnium of Zürich
- 1959
- 1st Omnium of Gent, 14 Feb
- 1st Omnium of Paris
- 1st Omnium of Brussels, 15 April
- 1st Omnium of Gent, 16 Apr
- 1st Omnium of Rocourt
- 1st Omnium of Brussels, 31 Oct
- 1st Omnium of Gent, 1 Nov
- 1960
- 1st Six Days of Berlin (with Peter Post)
- 1st Six Days of Ghent (with Peter Post)
- 1st Omnium of Brussels
- 2nd Six Days of Brussels (with Peter Post)
- 2nd Six Days of Frankfurt (with Peter Post)
- 1961
- 1st Six Days of Antwerp (with Willy Vannitsen & Peter Post)
- 1st Six Days of Cologne (with Peter Post)
- 1st Six Days of Brussels (with Peter Post)
- 1st Six Days of Ghent (with Peter Post)
- 1st Omnium of Brussels
- 2nd
National Track Championship Madison (with Edgard Sorgeloos) - 2nd National Track Championship Omnium
- 2nd Six Days of Berlin (with Peter Post)
- 2nd Six Days of Frankfurt (with Peter Post)
- 3rd Six Days of Zürich (with Peter Post)
- 1962
- 1st Six Days of Antwerp (with Oscar Plattner & Peter Post)
- 1st Six Days of Berlin (with Peter Post)
- 1st Six Days of Dortmund (with Peter Post)
- European Track Championships
- 2nd
Madison (with Peter Post) - 3rd
Derny
- 2nd
- 2nd Six Days of Berlin (with Peter Post)
- 3rd Six Days of Milan (with Peter Post)
- 1963
- 2nd Six Days of Berlin (with Rik van Steenbergen)
- 3rd Six Days of Zürich (with Rik van Steenbergen)
- 1964
- 1st Omnium of Rocourt
- 1st Omnium of Ostend
- 1965
- 1st Omnium of Ostend, 30 July
- 1st Omnium of Ostend, 12 Aug
- 1st Omnium of Rocourt
- 1st Omnium of Ostend, 21 Aug
- 1st Omnium of Valenciennes
- 1st Omnium of Brussels
- 1968
- 1st National Track Championship Madison (with Patrick Sercu)
- 1st Omnium of Gent, 30 Oct (with Patrick Sercu)
- 1st Omnium of Gent, 1 Nov (with Julien Stevens)
- 1st Omnium of Gent, 11 Nov
- 2nd Six Days of Ghent (with Patrick Sercu)
- 2nd Six Days of Antwerp (with Fritz Pfenninger & Peter Post)
- 1969
- 1st National Track Championship Madison (with Patrick Sercu)
- 1st Six Days of Antwerp (with Peter Post & Patrick Sercu)
- 1970
- 3rd Six Days of Antwerp (with Sigi Renz & Theo Verschueren)
Source [3]
Awards and honours
- Trophée Edmond Gentil: 1959[4]
- Belgian National Sports Merit Award: 1961[5]
- General Tour de France Combativity Award: 1963[6]
- Stage Combativity Awards (8): 4 in 1963, 1 in 1962, 1964, 1965 and 1966
- Swiss AIOCC Trophy: 1982[7]
- UCI Hall of Fame: 2002[8]
- The only winner of all 8 Classic cycle races
- Memoire du Cyclisme – The Greatest Cyclists 11th place: 2002[9]
- Sports Personality of the Antwerp province: 2005[10]
- Honorary citizen of Grobbendonk: 2012[11]
- Statue in Herentals: 2017[12]
- GP Rik Van Looy: from 2018[13]
- Bust in Grobbendonk: 2021[14]
- ProcyclingStats – All Time Wins Ranking: 2nd place (162 wins)[15]
- ProCyclingStats – All Time Ranking: 8th place[16]
- CyclingRanking – Overall All Time Ranking: 12th place[17]
- UCI Top 100: 16th place
Books
- Pedalare! The Emperor: The Rik Van Looy Story by David Armstrong in 1971, Kennedy Brothers, 34 p. (English) ASIN B0006C6X94
- The Beast, The Emperor and the Milkman by Harry Pearson in 2019, Bloomsbury Publishing, 289 p. (English) ISBN 9781472945068
- Rik Van Looy: De Temperamentvolle Wereldkampioen by Marcel Grosjean & Roger Meuleman in 1960. G.P.V., 40 p. (Dutch)
- Rik Van Looy by Fred De Bruyne in 1963. 42 p. (Dutch)
- Rik Van Looy: Heerser en Verdeler by Louis Clicteur & Lucien Berghmans in 1966, De Steenbok, 222 p. (Dutch)
- Ik, Rik! by Rik van Looy & Rob Jans in 1972, Brito, 95 p. (Dutch)
- Van Looy Story by André Blancke, Jan Cornand & Roger Quick in 1979, Het Volk, 69 p. (Dutch)
- Rik Van Looy: Monument Voor Een Keizer by Roger De Maertelaere, Guy Crasset & Modest Maertens in 2005. De Eecloonaar, 192 p. (Dutch, French) ISBN 9789077562185
- Rik Van Looy 80 by Mark Vanlombeek & Robert Janssens in 2013. Borgerhoff & Lamberigts, 272 p. (Dutch, French) ISBN 9789089313997
- Van Looy / Les Héros! by Robert Janssens in 2018. Hannibal Books, 120 p. (Dutch, French) ISBN 9789492677402
- ’t Is Rik – Hommage aan de Keizer by Bart Lamers en Thijs Delrue in 2021 (Dutch, French) ISBN 9798201045227
References
- "Rik Van Looy Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
- Van Walleghem, Rik (1993). Eddy Merckx:the greatest cyclist of the 20th century. Pinguin Productions. ISBN 1-884737-72-2.
- "Palmarès de Rik van Looy (Bel)". Mémoire du Cyclisme.
- "Palmarès Rik van Looy" (in French). Mémoire du Cyclisme.
- "Derwael sleept ook Nationale Trofee voor Sportverdienste in de wacht: "Unaniem"" (in Dutch). Sporza.
- "Het kon niet anders, na zo'n Tour de France: Wout van Aert winnaar van de Superstrijdlust". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 23 July 2022.
- "2017 AIOCC TROPHY".
- "The Cycling Hall of Fame: Eddy Merckx". Rouleur.
- "Les meilleurs coureurs de tous les temps (1892-2002)" (in French). Mémoire du Cyclisme.
- "De Keizer van Herentals". servicekoers.be (in Dutch). 13 April 2022.
- "Ereburgers Grobbendonk" (in Dutch). grobbendonk.be.
- "Herentals onthult standbeeld voor Rik Van Looy (en Michel Verschueren is erbij)". Sporza (in Dutch). 12 August 2017.
- "Grote Prijs Rik Van Looy" (in Dutch). gprikvanlooy.be.
- "Borstbeeld Rik Van Looy onthuld in zijn geboortedorp: "Keizer van Herentals én ereburger van Grobbendonk"". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). 12 June 2021.
- "All time wins ranking". procyclingstats.com.
- "PCS Ranking»All time". procyclingstats. procyclingstats.com. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- "Overall Ranking 1869-2022". Cycling Ranking.
External links
- Rik Van Looy at Cycling Archives
- Rik Van Looy at Olympedia
- Rik Van Looy at Olympics.com
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