One of the greats of world Cycling has passed away: despite not having the aura and ruthless hunger for success of his neighbor Eddy Merckx, Rick Van Looywho died today, Wednesday 18th, at the age of 91 in his native Flanders, was a champion absolute of two wheels like the very famous one Cannibal. In some ways the palmares of this favorite son of Belgian cycling – very lucid until his last days – is superior to that of Merckx, a generation younger than him. (Corriere della Sera)
On other media
– For just two days he didn’t have time to celebrate his first 91 years of life: Rick Van Looy he passed away in the morning after a short illness in his Herentals, the place where he had been ‘awarded’ the platonic title of ‘Emperor’, and he did so leaving a very deep mark in the history of cycling on both road and track. (Sports Daily)
The career of Rick Van Looy Rik Van Looy, one of the strongest classics riders of all time, died this morning. The news comes from his native Belgium, where he was much loved. The day after tomorrow he would have turned 91. (Cicloweb.it)
Road world champion in 1960 (Sachsenring) and 1961 (Bern), between the 1950s and 1960s he won the Paris-Roubaix three times (1961, 1962, 1965), the Tour of Flanders twice (1959, 1962), once the Milan-Sanremo (1958), the Giro di Lombardia (1959) and the Liège-Bastogne-Liège (1961), to which he added the original classics: Fleche Wallone, Paris-Tour and Paris-Brussels. (La Gazzetta dello Sport)
With two world titles and a list of successes, he was one of the absolute protagonists of one-day racing. Rick Van Looyone of the greatest cyclists in history, has died at the age of 90. (ilmessaggero.it)
– Cycling loses a legend. Twice world champion among road professionals, in 1960 and 1961, he also won all five Monument Classics, a record shared with his compatriots Eddy Merckx and Roger De Vlaeminck, taking three Paris-Roubaix, one Milan-Sanremo, two Tours of Flanders, one Tour of Lombardy and one Liège-Bastogne-Liège. (Sports Daily)
Il champion Belgian passed away a few days before his ninety-first birthday after a short illness. Capable of taking center stage between the 1950s and 1970s, the “Emperor of Herentals” was the only cyclist in history to conquer all eight original Classics (the five Monuments to which should be added Freccia Wallone, Paris-Bruxelles and Paris-Tours). (Sport Mediaset)
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