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 Herentals () is a city in the province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the city of Herentals proper and the towns of Morkhoven and . In 2021, Herentals had a total population of 28.194. The total area is . Saint Waltrude is the patron sain ...

'' (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 Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

– a feat since achieved by just two others (both also Belgians: Roger De Vlaeminck and

Eddy Merckx Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx (, ; born 17 June 1945), better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional road and track bicycle racer who is among the most successful riders in the history of competitive cycling. His victorie ...

). With 379 road victories he's second to Merckx only. He is ninth on the all-time list of

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tut ...

stage winners with thirty-seven victories.

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 The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

, 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 ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. 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 The Tour of the Netherlands ''(Dutch: Ronde van Nederland)'' was a road bicycle racing stage-race in the Netherlands, founded in 1948. It's an annual race since 1975. Because of the start of the UCI ProTour in 2005, it was replaced by the Eneco To ...

victories in 1957, and in 1958 won the season's opening classic,

Milan–San Remo Milan–San Remo (in Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance of 298 km (~185.2 miles) it ...

. 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 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 ...

(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 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 ...

, 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

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 Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

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 :

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...

::1st Team road race : 1st

Omloop der Vlaamse Gewesten The Omloop der Vlaamse gewesten was a men's cycling race of which the original format was organized for the last time in 1972. The race was run in variating Flemish provinces or Brussels. The competition's roll of honor includes the successes o ...

(amateurs) :2nd Brussels-Opwijk ;1953 : National Road Championships ::1st MaillotBélgica

Amateur road race :1st

Ronde van Midden-Nederland The Ronde van Midden-Nederland is a road bicycle race held annually in Netherlands. It was organized as a 1.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 20 ...

:1st Heistse Pijl : Tour of Austria ::1st stage 5 :1st

Omloop Het Volk Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, previously Omloop Het Volk, is a one-day 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 Northwestern Europe, and ...

(amateurs) : 3rd Bronze medal uci

Amateur 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 ...

;1954 :1st Roubaix–Huy : Driedaagse van Antwerpen ::1st stage 3a :1st Berchem :2nd Overall Tour of Belgium ;1955 : 1st Omloop van Oost-Vlaanderen :2nd Heistse Pijl : 3rd

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 ...

;1956 :

::2nd

Road race : National Road Championships ::1st MaillotBélgica

Interclubs road race : 1st Jersey orange

Overall

::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 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 racin ...

:2nd Heistse Pijl :2nd Omloop van de Fruitstreek ;1957 : 1st Jersey orange

Overall

::1st stages 2, 3a, 3b and 6a :1st

Coppa Bernocchi The Coppa Bernocchi is a European bicycle race held in Legnano, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. In 1919 the business magnate Antonio Bernocchi founded the Coppa Bernocchi (or Bernocchi Cup) ...

Roma–Napoli–Roma Roma–Napoli–Roma (English: Rome–Naples–Rome) was a road cycle race held from 1902 until 1961. The race had different names during its history: ''Corsa del XX Settembre'' (''Race of 20 September'') from 1919 to 1927, as it was raced in S ...

::1st stage 5 :1st Gent–Wevelgem :1st Scheldeprijs :1st

Schaal Sels-Merksem 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 wh ...

: 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

:3rd Circuit of Houtland ;1958 : National Road Championships ::1st MaillotBélgica

Road race ::1st MaillotBélgica

Interclubs road race :

: ::1st stages 4, 5b, 6, 9 and 10 :1st

:3rd Overall Giro di Sardegna ::1st stage 3 : Vuelta a Levante ::1st stages 1, 3 ( TTT), 4 and 8 :1st

:1st

: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

:3rd Paris-Roubaix :3rd Giro di Sardegna :3rd

;1959 : 4rd Overall Giro d'Italia ::1st stages 1, 5, 11 and 14 : 3rd Overall

::1st stages 1B, 8, 9 and 11 :: Jersey green Epic Series

Winner poins classification : 1st Jersey gold

Overall Giro di Sardegna ::1st stages 2, 4 and 6 :1st Championship of Flanders – Koolskamp :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 ...

:1st Tour of Flanders :1st Jersey gold

Overall Vuelta a Levante ::1st stages 2, 6, 7 :1st Giro di Lombardia :1st

Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana The Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana (; en, Tour of the Valencian Community or Tour of Valencia) is a road cycling stage race held in the Valencian Community (''Comunitat Valenciana''), Spain. Its position in the cycling calendar means it is often ...

:1st

GP Stad Vilvoorde The GP Stad Vilvoorde is a single-day cycle race held each year in and around the Belgian city of Vilvoorde. The race was first organized in 1931. The race was Eddy Merckx Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx (, ; born 17 June 1945), better ...

:1st Tielt-Antwerpen-Tielt :3rd

Super Prestige Pernod 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 Disag ...

;1960 :1st Jersey rainbow

Road race

:4th Overall Giro d'Italia ::1st stages 7B, 8 and 11 :: Jersey green Epic Series

Winner

mountains classification The King of the Mountains (KoM) is an award given to the best climbing specialist in a men's cycling road race; in women's cycle racing, Queen of the Mountains (QoM) is used. While the title may be given to the rider who achieves the highest p ...

: Giro di Sardegna ::1st stages 4 and 5 : Driedaagse van Antwerpen :: 1st stage 2a :1st Ronde van Brabant :

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 overlooki ...

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 :1st Jersey rainbow

Road race

:7th Overall Giro d'Italia ::1st stages 13, 15 and 17 : 1st Jersey red

Overall Tour of Belgium ::1st stages 4a and 4b : Giro di Sardegna ::1st stages 2 and 6 :

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

;1962 :

::1st stage 2b ( TTT) : Giro d'Italia ::1st stages 9 and 11 : 1st Jersey gold

Overall Giro di Sardegna ::1st stages 3 and 5b :

Winner Points classification ::1st stages 7b and 9b :1st Gent–Wevelgem :1st Tour of Flanders :1st Paris–Roubaix :1st

Grand Prix du Parisien The Grand Prix du Parisien was an annual road bicycle race held in Paris, France as a team time trial A team time trial (TTT) is a road bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock (see individual time trial for a more deta ...

( TTT) : Tour of Belgium :: Jersey red

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 :

::2nd

Road race : National Road Championships ::1st MaillotBélgica

Road race :10th Overall

::1st stages 2, 8, 13 and 21 :: Jersey green Epic Series

Winner points classification :: Jersey red number

Winner

combativity award The combativity award is a prize given in road bicycle racing 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 numb ...

:2nd Overall Giro di Sardegna ::1st stage 4 :3rd Overall Paris-Nice :: Jersey green Epic Series

Winner Points classification ::1st stages 1, 4 and 8 : Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré ::1st stages 2 and 5 :1st

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 P ...

:1st

:2nd Paris Roubaix :3rd Critérium des As ;1964 : 1st Jersey gold

Overall Paris–Luxembourg ::1st stage 2 :1st

: Tour of Belgium ::1st stage 4 :

::1st stage 2 : Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré ::1st stage 4b : Giro di Sardegna ::1st stage 4 :1st Harelbeke-Antwerpen-Harelbeke :

Critérium du Dauphiné The Critérium du Dauphiné, before 2010 known as the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, is an annual cycling road race in the Dauphiné region in the southeast of France. The race is run over eight days during the first half of June. It is par ...

::1st stage 4b :1st Bruxelles-Meulebeke :1st Textielprijs Vichte :2nd Paris–Brussels :2nd

:2nd Championship of Flanders :2nd Ronde van Brabant :3rd Gent-Wevelgem ;1965 :

: ::1st stages 1 and 19 :3rd Overall

:Held

after Stages 1a and 1b ::1st stages 1, 2, 7, 9, 12, 14, 15 and 17 :: Jersey green Epic Series

Winner poins classification : Tour de Luxembourg ::1st stages 1, 2b and 4 : 1st Jersey gold

Overall Giro di Sardegna ::1st stages 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 :1st Harelbeke-Antwerpen-Harelbeke :1st Paris–Roubaix :1st

Elfstedenronde The Elfstedenronde is a one-day road cycling race held annually in Belgium. It was held originally from 1943 until 1989, and returned in 2017 as the Bruges Cycling Classic. The race has also been called the Tour des Onze Villes and the Circuit de ...

:1st Classica Sarda :

Tour du Sud-Est The Tour du Sud-Est was a professional cycle race held as a stage race A race stage, leg, or heat is a unit of a race that has been divided in several parts for the reason such as length of the distance to be covered, as in a multi-day event. ...

::1st stage 4b : Tour of Belgium ::1st stage 2 :1st Bruxelles-Meulebeke :1st

Flèche enghiennoise The Flèche Enghiennoise was a short-lived men's cycling race organized for the last time in 1969. The course, around 200 km, was situated in Enghien, on the border of the Belgian provinces Brabant and Hainaut. The race always took plac ...

:1st GP Ninove :1st Heusden Koers :3rd Liederkerkse Pijl ;1966 : Paris-Nice ::1st stage 4 : Tour de Luxembourg ::1st stage 3 :3rd Overall

::1st stage 2 :1st Harelbeke-Antwerpen-Harelbeke :1st Omloop van de Fruitstreek : Tour of Belgium ::1st stage 2 :2nd Paris-Tours :2nd

:3rd

Paris-Brussels The Brussels Cycling Classic (known until June 2013 as Paris–Brussels) is a semi classic European bicycle race, one of the oldest races on the international calendar. History Paris–Brussels was first run on 12 August 1893 as an amateur even ...

;1967 :

::1st stage 5 :1st

: Giro di Sardegna ::1st stage 2 : Paris-Nice ::1st stage 4 : Tour of Belgium :: Jersey red

Winner Points classification :1st Omloop van de Fruitstreek :1st

GP Briek Schotte The GP Briek Schotte is a criterium road cycling race held annually around the village of Desselgem in West Flanders, Belgium. The race was first organized in 1941. In 1942 and 1947, two editions were organized, one in July and the other in Septem ...

:2nd Paris–Roubaix :2nd Circuit of Houtland :2nd

:2nd

Wezembeek-Oppem Wezembeek-Oppem is a municipality in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant, east of the centre of Brussels. The municipality only comprises the town of Wezembeek-Oppem proper. On January 1, 2016, Wezembeek-Oppem had a total population of 14,0 ...

: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

:3rd Championship of Flanders :3rd

Halle–Ingooigem Halle–Ingooigem is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in June in West Flanders, 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 compet ...

;1969 :

: ::1st stage 4 :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 k ...

:1st Omloop van de Grensstreek :1st Omloop der Zennevallei :1st Heistse Pijl :1st

Omloop der Zuid-West-Vlaamse Bergen The Omloop der Zuid-West-Vlaamse Bergen was a Belgian post-WW II cycling race organized for the last time in 1975. The course, between 140 and 200 km, was situated in West Flanders, against the French border. Poperinge Poperinge (; frenc ...

::1st stage 5 ;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 The Six Days of Brussels was a six-day track cycling race held annually in Brussels, Belgium. Rik Van Steenbergen Rik Van Steenbergen (9 September 1924 – 15 May 2003) was a Belgian racing cyclist, considered to be one of the best a ...

(with Lucien Acou) ;1957 :1st

(with

Willy Vannitsen Willy Vannitsen (8 February 1935 – 19 August 2001) was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. In 1962, Vannitsen won two stages in the 1962 Tour de France. Major results ;1951 : National Road Race Novice Championship ;1954 :Heist-op-den ...

) :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 The Six Days of Ghent ( nl, Zesdaagse Vlaanderen-Gent) is a six-day track cycling race held annually in Ghent, Belgium. It takes place in the Kuipke velodrome in Ghent's ''Citadelpark''. The 2006 event from 21 November to 26 November was marr ...

(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 The Six Days of Berlin is a six-day track cycling race held annually in Berlin, Germany. The event was first held in 1909. In its first edition, 15 teams of two cyclists each competed in the exhibition hall at Berlin Zoo for glory and, not leas ...

(with Peter Post) :1st

(with Peter Post) :1st Omnium of Brussels :2nd

(with Peter Post) :2nd

Six Days of Frankfurt The Six Days of Frankfurt was a six-day track cycling race held annually in Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,00 ...

(with Peter Post) ;1961 :1st Six Days of Antwerp (with

& Peter Post) :1st Six Days of Cologne (with Peter Post) :1st

(with Peter Post) :1st

(with Peter Post) :1st Omnium of Brussels :2nd Silver medal blank

National Track Championship Madison (with

Edgard Sorgeloos Edgard Sorgeloos (14 December 1930 – 12 November 2016) was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. Sorgeloos' biggest success came at the end of his career, when he won a stage in the 1965 Tour de France. Major results ;1951 :GP Maurice De ...

) :2nd

National Track Championship Omnium :2nd

(with Peter Post) :2nd

(with Peter Post) :3rd Six Days of Zürich (with Peter Post) ;1962 :1st Six Days of Antwerp (with Oscar Plattner & Peter Post) :1st

(with Peter Post) :1st

Six Days of Dortmund The Six Days of Dortmund is a six-day track cycling race held annually in Dortmund Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-larg ...

(with Peter Post) : European Track Championships ::2nd Silver medal europe

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

(with Peter Post) ::3rd Bronze medal europe

Derny :2nd

(with Peter Post) :3rd

Six Days of Milan 6 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 6 or six may also refer to: * AD 6, the sixth year of the AD era * 6 BC, the sixth year before the AD era * The month of June Science * Carbon, the element with atomic number 6 * 6 Hebe, an asteroid People ...

(with Peter Post) ;1963 :2nd

(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 Jul) :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 MaillotBélgica

National Track Championship Madison (with

Patrick Sercu Patrick Sercu (27 June 1944 – 19 April 2019) was a Belgian cyclist who was active on the road and track between 1961 and 1983. On track, he won the gold medal in the 1 km time trial at the 1964 Summer Olympics, as well as three world title ...

) :1st Omnium of Gent (30 Oct) with

:1st Omnium of Gent (1 Nov) with

Julien Stevens Julien Stevens (born 25 February 1943) is a retired Belgian cyclist who raced from 1963 to 1977. Stevens spent most part of his career employed to help other riders, such as Rik Van Steenbergen, Rik Van Looy and Eddy Merckx. In 1969, at the road ...

:1st Omnium of Gent (11 Nov) :2nd

(with

) :2nd Six Days of Antwerp (with

Fritz Pfenninger Fritz Pfenninger (15 October 1934 – 12 May 2001) was a Swiss cyclist. He was a specialist in six-day racing, winning a total of 33 events between 1956 and 1970, including 19 with Peter Post. Track honours Six-day racing * 1956 : Aarhus (w ...

& Peter Post) ;1969 :1st MaillotBélgica

National Track Championship Madison (with

) :1st Six Days of Antwerp (with Peter Post &

) ;1970 :3rd Six Days of Antwerp (with

Sigi Renz Sigi Renz (born 2 August 1938) is a former German racing cyclist. He won the German National Road Race in 1963. References External links * 1938 births Living people German male cyclists Cyclists from Munich German cycling road rac ...

& Theo Verschueren) Source

Awards and honours

* Trophée Edmond Gentil: 1959 *

Belgian National Sports Merit Award The Belgian National Sports Merit Award is an annual award handed out to a Belgian sportsperson or -team for exceptional merit. Players can only win the award once during their career, making this trophy one of the most prestigious in Belgian sports ...

: 1961 * General Tour de France Combativity Award: 1963 * Stage Combativity Awards (8): 4 in 1963, 1 in 1962, 1964,

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in for a full term ...

and

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo ...

* Swiss AIOCC Trophy: 1982 *

UCI Hall of Fame The UCI Hall of Fame, that not to be confused with Cycling Hall of Fame or the University of California, Irvine's Hall of Fame, was launched by the ''Union Cycliste Internationale'' (UCI) in 2002 to "honor all those who by their heroic deeds or th ...

: 2002 * The only winner of all 8

Classic cycle races The classic cycle races are the most prestigious one-day professional road cycling races in the international calendar. Some of these events date back to the 19th century. They are normally held at roughly the same time each year. The five most ...

* Memoire du Cyclisme - The Greatest Cyclists 11th place: 2002 * Sports Personality of the Antwerp province: 2005 * Honorary citizen of Grobbendonk: 2012 * Statue in

: 2017 * GP Rik Van Looy: from 2018 * Bust in Grobbendonk: 2021 * Procyclingstats.com - All Time Wins Ranking: 2nd place (162 wins) * ProCyclingStats - All Time Ranking: 8th place * CyclingRanking - Overall All Time Ranking: 12th place * UCI Top 100: 16th place

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Looy, Rik 1933 births Living people Belgian male cyclists Belgian Tour de France stage winners Belgian Vuelta a España stage winners UCI Road World Champions (elite men) People from Herentals Olympic cyclists of Belgium Cyclists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Belgium Olympic medalists in cycling Flemish sportspeople Cyclists from Antwerp Province People from Grobbendonk Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics

Career

Major results

Road

Track

Awards and honours

References

Further reading

External links