Herman Vanspringel (14 August 1943 – 25 August 2022), also spelled Herman Van Springel, was a Belgian

road racing cyclist Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common ...

, from Grobbendonk, in the

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

Campine The Campine ( French ) or De Kempen (Dutch ) is a natural region situated chiefly in north-eastern Belgium and parts of the south-eastern Netherlands which once consisted mainly of extensive moors, tracts of sandy heath, and wetlands. It encom ...

or Kempen region. He achieved podium finishes in all three of the grand tours with second place in the

1968 Tour de France The 1968 Tour de France was the 55th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place between 27 June and 21 July, with 22 stages covering a distance of . Eleven national teams of 10 riders competed, with three French te ...

and

1971 Giro d'Italia The 1971 Giro d'Italia was the 55th edition of the Giro, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The race consisted of 20 stages and an opening prologue, starting in Lecce on 20 May and finishing at the Vigorelli velodrome in Milan on 10 June. There ...

, and third place in the

1970 Vuelta a España The 1970 Vuelta a España was the 25th Edition Vuelta a España, taking place from 23 April to 12 May 1970. It consisted of 19 stages over , ridden at an average speed of . The race revealed Augustín Tamames as a contender for the future at the ...

. He wore the

Maillot Jaune The general classification is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919 Tour de France, 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey (french: maillot ...

during four stages of the

and for three stages in

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

Career

Vanspringel was an accomplished time-trial rider, almost winning the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

in 1968. He was beaten in the last stage by Dutch rider Jan Janssen in a time-trial. This remains as one of the closest races in Tour de France history. In the autumn that year, he won the classic Giro di Lombardia. He won a record seven editions of the marathon Bordeaux–Paris. He also won the Green Jersey in the 1973 Tour de France without winning a single stage. He finished in 6th place overall that year, the third time in his career he would finish in the top 10 of the Tour de France. He would finish in the top 10 one final time during the 1974 edition. He would win a total of five stages during his ten participations in the Tour. He was not allowed to ride the

1972 Tour de France The 1972 Tour de France was the 59th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place from 1 to 22 July, with 20 stages covering a distance of . The long awaited clash between Eddy Merckx and Luis Ocaña after Ocaña cra ...

due to signing for rival team

Rokado Rokado was a German professional cycling team that existed from 1972 to 1975. A notable result was the points classification of the 1973 Tour de France with Herman Van Springel Herman Vanspringel (14 August 1943 – 25 August 2022), also spe ...

for the 1973 season. Vanspringel cycled through the 1970s and ended his career at the end of the 1981 season. As a professional cyclist, he eventually won 136 road races. Herman Van Springel en 1970

Flemish TV-maker and presenter, Marc Uytterhoeven, motivated by the 1968 Tour, founded a Herman Vanspringel fan club.

Major results

Sources: ;1963 : 3rd

Tour de Liège The Tour de la province de Liège (English: Tour of the Province of Liège) is a cycling race held annually in the Liège province of Belgium. Although it isn't part of UCI Europe Tour, it has been won by many famous cyclists since its creation in ...

;1964 : 3rd Brussels-Opwijk ;1966 : 1st Gent–Wevelgem : 1st Brussel-Ingooigem : 1st

Flèche Hesbignonne The Flèche Hesbignonne-Cras Avernas was a one-day road cycling race held annually in Belgium. Created in 1952, it first took place between Niel and Sint-Truiden. It was then held between Cras-Avernas and Remouchamps. It was on the UCI Europe ...

: 1st

Grote Prijs Jef Scherens Grote Prijs Jef Scherens is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in September in Leuven, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race is named after the seven-time professional sprint world c ...

: 1st Stage 2 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré : 1st Prix de St. Amands : 3rd Milan-San Remo : 3rd

Circuit des Frontières The Circuit des Frontières was a one-day road cycling Road cycling is the most widespread form of cycling in which cyclists ride on paved roadways. It includes recreational, racing, commuting, and utility cycling. As users of the road, road ...

: 6th Overall

;1967 : 1st Stages 6 ( TTT) & Stage 7

: 1st

: 2nd Overall Tour of Belgium ::1st Stage 2b : 2nd Bordeaux–Paris : 2nd

: 3rd

Antwerpse Havenpijl The Antwerpse Havenpijl is a European bicycle race held in Merksem, Belgium. Since 2006, the race has been organised as a 1.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were i ...

;1968 : 1st

Super Prestige Pernod International The Super Prestige Pernod was a season-long competition in road bicycle racing between 1958 and 1987. For the first edition it was known as the Prestige Pernod, and for the last four years as the Super Prestige Pernod International. History Disa ...

: 2nd

Road race,

UCI Road World Championships The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the (UCI). The UCI Road World Championships consist of events for road race and individual time trial, and a mixed team relay. Events ...

: 2nd Overall

::1st Stages 3 ( TTT) & 13 ::Held after stages 3a-3b and 19-22a : 1st Giro di Lombardia : 1st

Omloop Het Volk Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, previously Omloop Het Volk, is a one-day Road bicycle racing, road cycling race in Belgium, held annually in late February. It is the opening event of the Belgian cycling season, as well as the first race of the year in Nort ...

: 1st

Omloop van Midden-België The Omloop van Midden-België was a men's cycling race organized for the last time in 1979. The start and finish place was Lier, Belgium. The competition's roll of honor includes the successes of Fred De Bruyne, Herman Van Springel and Willy P ...

: 1st Trefle a Quatre Feuilles : 2nd Paris-Roubaix : 2nd Grand Prix des Nations : 2nd Trofeo Baracchi (with Ole Ritter) : 2nd Wattrelos-Meulebeke : 3rd Rund um den Henniger Turm : 3rd Overall

Tour de Suisse The Tour de Suisse ( en, Tour of Switzerland) is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France ...

::1st Stage 1 : 3rd Overall Tour of Belgium ::1st Stage 1 : 3rd E3 Harelbeke ;1969 : 1st Stages 10 and 21

: 1st

Paris–Tours Paris–Tours is a French one-day classic road cycling race held every October from the outskirts of Paris to the cathedral city of Tours. It is a predominantly flat course through the Chevreuse and Loire valleys; the highest point is 200 m, ...

: 1st Stages 4, 7 and 10

: 1st Grand Prix des Nations : 1st Overall

À travers Lausanne À travers Lausanne was a professional road cycling race held annually in Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian- ...

::1st Stages 1 ( TTT) & 2 : 1st Trofeo Baracchi with Joaquim Agostinho : 1st Stage 1

Four Days of Dunkirk The Four Days of Dunkirk (french: Quatre Jours de Dunkerque) is road bicycle race around the Nord-Pas de Calais region of northern France. Despite the name of the race, since the addition of an individual time trial in 1963, the race has been h ...

: 1st Rund um den Henninger-Turm : 1st Trofeo Baracchi (with Joaquim Agostinho) : 1st G.P de Baden-Baden (with Roger De Vlaeminck) : 1st

: 1st GP van Malderen : 2nd Giro di Lombardia : 2nd Wattrelos-Meulebeke : 2nd

Grand Prix Pino Cerami Grand Prix Pino Cerami is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in April in Hainaut, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. Giuseppe 'Pino' Cerami, after whom the race is named, is a former Belg ...

: 3rd Overall Tour of Belgium ::1st Stage 2b : 3rd

Rund um den Henninger Turm Rund is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Cathleen Rund (born 1977), German swimmer * Hanno Rund (1925–1993), German mathematician * Thorsten Rund (born 1976), German road and track cyclist See also * Rand (surname) * Ruud R ...

: 3rd

Gran Premio di Lugano The Gran Premio di Lugano ( en, Grand Prix of Lugano) is a road bicycle race held annually in Lugano, Switzerland. Prior to 1981 it was held as an individual time trial but in recent years it has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe ...

;1970 : 1st Bordeaux-Paris : 1st Brabantse Pijl : 1st Grand Prix des Nations : 1st

Schaal Sels Schaal Sels is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in September in Merksem, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions whi ...

: 1st Heistse Pijl : 1st Omloop Schelde-Durme : 1st

Omloop van het Zuidwesten The Omloop van het Zuidwesten was a Belgian cycling race organized for the last time in 1982. The course was around 185 km, with Hulste as both start and finish place. The competition's roll of honor includes the successes of Roger De Vlaemin ...

: 1st Stage 3 Tour of Belgium : 2nd Belgian National Road Race Championships : 2nd Criterium des As : 3rd Overall

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...

: 3rd Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré : 3rd Trofeo Baracchi with

Willy In't Ven Willy In 't Ven (born 1 March 1943, in Turnhout) is a Belgian former professional racing cyclist. He competed in seven editions of the Tour de France, four of the Giro d'Italia and one Vuelta a España. His brother, Paul and son Danny were also ...

;1971 : 1st National Road race Championships : 1st Stages 1 ( TTT) & 16b

: 1st Züri-Metzgete : 1st

Nokere Koerse Nokere Koerse is a European semi classic single day cycle race held in the Belgian region of Flanders. Since 2005, the race has been organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. Starting in 2016 it was a 1.HC event. The Nokere Koerse was c ...

: 1st G.P de Baden-Baden (with Eddy Merckx) : 1st GP Union Dortmund : 1st Wattrelos-Meulebeke : 1st Cronostafetta : 1st Maaslandse Pijl : 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia : 2nd Overall Tour of Belgium ::1st Stage 3 : 2nd Paris-Roubaix : 2nd

Boucles de l'Aulne Boucles de l'Aulne is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in May or June around Châteaulin, in the region of Brittany, France. Since 2006, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. It was previously known as Grand Pri ...

: 3rd Overall Giro di Sardegna : 3rd

;1972 : 1st Interclubs TTT, National Road Championships : 1st

GP Stad Zottegem Egmont Cycling Race is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in August in Zottegem, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competit ...

: 1st Cronostafetta : 1st Trofee Luc Van Biesen : 1st Kessel-Lier : 1st Brussels-Biévenne : 1st Wezenbeek-Oppem : 2nd Brabantse Pijl : 2nd Scheldeprijs : 2nd Overall

Tour de la Nouvelle France The Tour de la Nouvelle-France was a professional cycle race held as a stage race in Canada. It was first held in 1971 and held for the final time in 1972. It was won in both years by Guido Reybrouck. In 1972 it was part of the Super Prestige Per ...

: 2nd Leeuwse Pijl : 2nd Giro del Mendrisio : 2nd Trefle a Quatre Feuilles : 3rd Liège-Bastogne-Liège : 3rd Tour du Condroz : 3rd Subida a Arrate : 3rd Omloop der Grensstreek ;1973 : 1st Stage 9

Volta a Catalunya The Volta a Catalunya (; en, Tour of Catalonia, es, Vuelta a Cataluña, link=no) is a road bicycle race held annually in Catalonia, Spain. It is one of three World Tour stage races in Spain, together with the Vuelta a España and the Tour of th ...

: 1st Stage 4

: 1st Stage 6 ( TTT) Paris-Nice : 2nd

Grand Prix of Aargau Canton Grand Prix of Aargau Canton (german: Grosser Preis des Kantons Aargau) is a semi classic European bicycle race held in Aargau canton, one of the more northerly cantons of Switzerland. The race consists of fifteen laps around the Swiss town of G ...

: 2nd Overall Tour of Belgium ::1st Stage 1 ( TTT) : 2nd Overall Giro di Sardegna : 3rd Amstel Gold Race : 3rd Brabantse Pijl : 3rd Giro di Lombardia : 3rd Overall

Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme The Catalan Cycling Week (''Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme'' in Catalan) was a multi-stage road bicycle race held in Catalonia, Spain. Held annually from 1963 until 2005, it was run as a 2.HC race on the UCI Europe Tour in the second half of March. ...

: 6th Overall

::1st points classification ::Held after stages 1b-2b ;1974 : 1st Brabantse Pijl : 1st

E3 Prijs Vlaanderen E3 Saxo Bank Classic, previously known as E3 BinckBank Classic, E3 Harelbeke, Harelbeke–Antwerp–Harelbeke and E3-Prijs Vlaanderen, is an annual road cycling race in Flanders, Belgium. The race starts and finishes in Harelbeke, covering 203 kil ...

: 1st

: 1st Bordeaux-Paris : 1st GP Betekom : 3rd Overall

Tour de Luxembourg The Tour de Luxembourg is an annual stage race in professional road bicycle racing held in Luxembourg. The Tour de Luxembourg is classified as a 2.Pro race, the highest rating below the World Tour, by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the ...

: 3rd

Grand Prix Impanis-Van Petegem The GP Impanis-Van Petegem (also known as the Primus Classic) is a single-day road bicycle race held annually since 1982 in the region of Flemish Brabant, Belgium. The race was originally organized as a tribute to Raymond Impanis in and around Kam ...

;1975 : 1st Bordeaux-Paris : 1st GP Desselgem : 1st Omloop van Oost-Vlaanderen : 2nd Critérium des As : 3rd Overall

: 3rd Omloop van Neeroeteren ;1976 : 1st

Nationale Sluitingsprijs Nationale Sluitingprijs is a semi classic European bicycle race held annually in Putte (Kapellen), Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing ...

: 1st

Grand Prix de Wallonie The Grand Prix de Wallonie is an annual road bicycle race held annually in Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, ...

: 2nd Bordeaux-Paris : 2nd Rebecq-Rognon : 2nd Omloop der Leievallei ;1977 : 1st Bordeaux-Paris : 1st Stage 7

Paris–Nice Paris–Nice is a professional cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the Col d'Èze overlookin ...

: 1st Stage 2 Three Days of De Panne : 2nd

: 2nd Critérium des As : 3rd La Flèche Wallonne ;1978 : 1st Bordeaux-Paris : 1st

Le Samyn Le Samyn is an annual single-day road bicycle race in Belgium, held usually in late February or early March. The event was created in 1968 as ''Grand Prix de Fayt-le-Franc'', named after the former municipality where it started and finished. In 1 ...

: 1st Omloop van het Houtland : 2nd

Gullegem Koerse The Gullegem Koerse is a single-day Road bicycle racing, road cycling race held annually in Wevelgem, Belgium over a course consisting of eitht 20-kilometer laps. The race was first organized in 1942 and is one of the most important criterium race ...

: 2nd Brabantse Pijl : 3rd Critérium des As ;1979 : 2nd Overall Tour of Belgium ::1st Stage 5 : 2nd Omloop der Grensstreek : 3rd Bordeaux-Paris ::1st Stage 4a : 3rd

;1980 : 1st Bordeaux-Paris : 2nd Critérium des As : 3rd

: 3rd Omloop van Midden-Brabant ;1981 : 1st Bordeaux-Paris : 2nd Critérium des As : 2nd

: 2nd GP Beeckman

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Source:

Books

* ''Herman Vanspringel - De Winnende Verliezer'' (112p, ISBN 9789053121399) by Robert Janssens and Tom Willems: 1999 * ''Herman Vanspringel'' (48p, ISBN 9789074128339) by Noël Truyers: 1999 * ''Herman Vanspringel 68'' (159p, ISBN 9789491376016) by

Mark Uytterhoeven Mark Uytterhoeven (born 6 March 1957) is a Belgian television presenter, TV scriptwriter, actor, comedian and former sports journalist. Uytterhoeven started his career at the Flemish public TV channel BRT (nowadays VRT), where he was a sports jo ...

: 2011 * ''Herman Vanspringels Diamonds For Ever'' (207p) by Luc Wuyts and Marc Uytterhoeven: 2020

Honours

* A cycling race Herman Vanspringels Diamond: From 1988 * Honory Citizen of Grobbendonk * Honory Citizen of Kalmthout * A statue in Grobbendonk: 2022

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Springel, Herman 1943 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Belgian people 21st-century Belgian people Belgian male cyclists Belgian Tour de France stage winners Tour de Suisse stage winners Cyclists from Antwerp Province People from Ranst Super Prestige Pernod winners