he is the only one to have won the 8 classics par excellence

The cycling world mourns the passing of Rick van Looywho passed away two days after he would have turned 91. And he walked away without seeing any athlete of any era even manage to match his extraordinary record, that of having been the only one to datehave won all 5 monument classics at least once and also the other three classics which in the past were equated with them (Freccia-Wallone, Paris-Brussels and Paris-Tours). Plus two world championships and various other races, including a myriad of stages in the grand tours, to compose a mosaic made up of 367 victories which represents a safe investment in the pedal Olympus.

Nobody like Rik: even two World Cups (and “a” betrayal…)

Van Looy he was the first great national hero of Belgian cycling, also because he raced a handful of years before Eddy Merckx. Which somehow happened a sort of heir, although the technical and physical characteristics were different (but in terms of victories the differences are very few).

Born in Herentals on 20 December 1933, “the Emperor” (nickname that accompanied him throughout his career and even after) marked the transition between the era of Coppi and Bartali to that of Merckx and De Vlaeminck. Remembered above all for being a formidable classic hunter, he conquered the Parigi-Roubaix, twice the Tour of Flandersone each between Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Milan-Sanremo e Giro of Lombardy. Solo Merckx e De Vlaeminck they managed to hit all the monuments and add to the palmares too Freccia-Vallone e Paris-Brussels, but never Paris-Toursthe race that van Looy he conquered in 1959 and then in 1967 when he was already about to pass the baton to his heirs.

However, the two rainbow jerseys won in 1961 at Sachsering (in front of Nino Defilippis e Raymond Poulidor) and in 1962 a Berna, which could have (indeed, should have) been three if in 1963 a Ronse he “gregarious” Benoit Beheyt had not betrayed the agreement in the morning, launching an attack -4 km from the finish line without looking back.

At the Giro 12 victories and a points classification (in ’63)

Van Looy has won 38 stages in the Grand Tours, with a particular predilection for Vuelta (18 partial successes), which in his day was held in April almost simultaneously with the Tour of Italywhere the hamlets that saw him impose himself on the pink caravan were 12 (in 1960 he also won the best climber’s jersey, although he was not a long distance runner and much less a man suited to mountain stages). To these 7 am added to the Tour del Francewith victory in the points classification in 1963.

His palmares also includes three Gand-Wevelgem, race which in the past was particularly suitable for sprinters (just like the Paris-Tours, and this explains the absence of Merckx e De Vlaemink from the roll of honour). Having finished his racing career, in addition to founding an academy for young cyclists in the Flemish area, for a short period he was also director of Herentals football club.