Cycling legend Rik Van Looy has died at 90

The Cycling world mourns one of its legends. AND died at the age of 90 Rick Van Looyone of the best runners of all time. On his bike since he was 12 years old delivering newspapers, he was active between the ’50s and ’60s. Until the advent of Eddy Merckx (recently underwent hip surgery after a fall), was considered the bigger Belgian champion.

Nicknamed “The Emperor of Herentals“, due to his Flemish origins and the role he assumed in the group, professional from 1954 to 1970, he was the dominator of road racing for over a decade. Twice world champion among road professionals, in 1960 and 1961, he also won all e cinque the classical Monumenta record shared with his compatriots Eddy Merckx and Roger De Vlaeminck, winning three Paris-Roubaix, one Milan-Sanremo, two Tours of Flanders, one Tour of Lombardy and one Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Van Looy is also the only cyclist who has managed to win all of them 8 original classics (5 monuments beyond the Walloon Arrow, Paris-Brussels and Paris-Tours). In fact, both Merckx and De Vlaeminck have never won the Paris-Tours. After his retirement he was also sports director, president of the football team ofHerentals and television commentator. Van Looy would have turned 91 next Friday.