The Belgian cyclist Rick Van Looyconsidered one of the greatest runners in history and winner of every classic in his sport, has died at the age of 90. This was reported by several Belgian media. Active from the 1950s to the 1970s, the man nicknamed “the emperor of Herentals” he was considered the greatest Belgian cyclist before the advent of Eddy Merckx in the late 1960s.
His imposing size never allowed him to win a grand tour, but he twice came second in the Tour. He was also twice world champion. Thanks to his sprinting ability, Van Looy was the first, before Eddy Merckx and Roger De Vlaeminck, to win at least once all five of the classic ‘monuments’ of cycling, achieving a total of eight successes between Milan-Sanremo, the Giro delle Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Giro di Lombardia, eleven also counting Ghent-Wevelgem.
Winner of 37 stages in the Grand Tours, including 18 in the Vuelta, 12 in the Giro and 7 in the Tour, he was also twice world champion and two more Belgian champions. He started cycling while working for a newsagent for whom he made deliveries, then cycling became his life, and by the end of his professional career he had amassed 371 victories, obtained by facing rivals during his long experience as a champion of the caliber of Fausto Coppi, Eddy Merckx, Rik Van Steenbergen, Ferdi Kubler, Hugo Koblet, Louison Bobet, Jacques Anquetil and Charly Gaul.
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