Lucien Van Impe
Lucien van Impe, (born 20 October 1946) is a Belgian cyclist, who raced between 1969 and 1987. He was mainly a climber in long races such as the Tour de France. He was the winner of the 1976 Tour de France. He won the polka dot jersey for best climber in the Tour de France six times.
.jpg.webp) Van Impe at the 1975 Acht van Chaam | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Lucien Van Impe |
| Nickname | de kleine van Mere |
| Born | 20 October 1946 Mere, Belgium |
| Team information | |
| Current team | Retired |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type | Climber |
| Professional teams | |
| 1969–1974 | Sonolor–Lejeune |
| 1975–1976 | Gitane–Campagnolo |
| 1977 | Lejeune–BP |
| 1978 | C&A |
| 1979 | Kas–Campagnolo |
| 1980 | Marc-Carlos-V.R.D.-Woningbouw |
| 1981 | Boston–Mavic |
| 1982-1984 | Metauro Mobil |
| 1985 | Santini–Krups |
| 1986 | Dormilon |
| 1987 | Sigma–Fina |
| Major wins | |
Grand Tours
| |
Biography
In 1968 van Impe was King of the Mountains in the Tour de l'Avenir. He says that Federico Bahamontes helped van Impe to get a contract with a cycling team. Bahamontes had previously won the Tour de France.
In 1969, Van Impe started his professional career with 12th place in the Tour de France.
In 1971, Van Impe won his first polka dot jersey. He would repeat that five more times, winning in 1972, 1975, 1977, 1981, and 1983.[1] He shared the record for most wins in the polka dot jersey competition with Bahamontes. Richard Virenque broke this record when he won his seventh polka dot jersey in 2004.
He won the mountain classification in the Giro d'Italia twice.
He was not as good at one day races. It was a surprise that he won the national championship in 1983.
Van Impe started the Tour de France fifteen times. He reached the finish in Paris every time. Only Joop Zoetemelk finished more times.[2]
He is now head of a cycling team of professional riders, called Wanty-Groupe Gobert.
Lucien Van Impe lives in Impe with his wife Rita. He has two grown up children, a son and a daughter. His house is called Alpe D'Huez. It is named after the French mountain where he took the yellow jersey of the Tour de France in 1976.
Van Impe has never tested positive for drugs, refused a doping test or confessed to doping.[3]
Most important successes
- 1968
- 1st Stage 8 Tour de l'Avenir
- 1969
- 1st Overall Vuelta Ciclista a Navarra
- 1st Stage 6 Tour of Belgium
- 1971
- 3rd Overall Tour de France
- 1972
- 4th Overall 1972 Tour de France
- 1st
Mountains classification - 1st Stage 12
- 1st
- 1973
- 5th Overall Tour de France
- 1st Stage 12b
- 2nd Overall Tour de Romandie
- 1st Stage 3
- 1st Stage 3 GP du Midi-Libre
- 1975
- 3rd Overall Tour de France
- 1st Mountains classification
- 1st Stage 14
- 1st Stage 18
- 1st
- 1st Overall Tour de l'Aude
- 1st Stage 1
- 1st Stage 3
- 1976
- 1st
Overall Tour de France
- 1st Stage 14
- 2nd Overall GP du Midi-Libre
- 1st Stage 4b
- 1st Stage 2b Tour de l'Aude
- 1977
- 3rd Overall Tour de France
- 1st Mountains classification
- 1st Stage 15b
- 1st
- 3rd Overall Critérium du Dauphiné
- 1st Stage 6
- 2nd Overall Tour de Suisse
- 1st Stage 7
- 1st Stage 8
- 1979
- 5th Overall Vuelta a España
- 1st Stage 15
- 1st Stage 16 Tour de France
- 1st Stage 7b Volta Ciclista a Catalunya
- 1981
- 2nd Overall Tour de France
- 1st Mountains classification
- 1st Stage 5
- 1st
- 1982
- 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia
- 1st
Mountains classification
- 1st
- 1983
- 1st
National Road Race Champion - 4th Overall Tour de France
- 1st Mountains classification
- 1st Stage 19
- 1st
- 9th Overall Giro d'Italia
- 1st Mountains classification
- 1st Stage 11
- 1st
- 1986
- 1st Overall Vuelta a los Valles Mineros
- 1st Stage 1
References
- "Past results for Lucien VAN IMPE (BEL)". letour.fr.
- "Historical results - Tour de France". Cycling hall of fame. Archived from the original on 24 August 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- Randewijk, Marije (7 July 2007). "Ik zal toch niet de enige zijn?" (in Dutch). de Volkskrant.
Other websites
- Cycling hall of fame biography Archived 14 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine
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1903 Maurice Garin · 1904 Henri Cornet · 1905 Louis Trousselier · 1906 René Pottier · 1907-1908 Lucien Petit-Breton · 1909 François Faber · 1910 Octave Lapize · 1911 Gustave Garrigou · 1912 Odile Defraye · 1913-1914 Philippe Thys · 1915-1918 World War I · 1919 Firmin Lambot · 1920 Philippe Thys · 1921 Léon Scieur · 1922 Firmin Lambot · 1923 Henri Pélissier · 1924-1925 Ottavio Bottecchia · 1926 Lucien Buysse · 1927-1928 Nicolas Frantz · 1929 Maurice De Waele · 1930 André Leducq · 1931 Antonin Magne · 1932 André Leducq · 1933 Georges Speicher · 1934 Antonin Magne · 1935 Romain Maes · 1936 Sylvère Maes · 1937 Roger Lapébie · 1938 Gino Bartali · 1939 Sylvère Maes · 1940-1946 World War II · 1947 Jean Robic · 1948 Gino Bartali · 1949 Fausto Coppi · 1950 Ferdinand Kübler · 1951 Hugo Koblet · 1952 Fausto Coppi · 1953-1955 Louison Bobet · 1956 Roger Walkowiak · 1957 Jacques Anquetil · 1958 Charly Gaul · 1959 Federico Bahamontes · 1960 Gastone Nencini · 1961-1964 Jacques Anquetil · 1965 Felice Gimondi · 1966 Lucien Aimar · 1967 Roger Pingeon · 1968 Jan Janssen · 1969-1972 Eddy Merckx · 1973 Luis Ocaña · 1974 Eddy Merckx · 1975 Bernard Thévenet · 1976 Lucien Van Impe · 1977 Bernard Thévenet · 1978-1979 Bernard Hinault · 1980 Joop Zoetemelk · 1981-1982 Bernard Hinault · 1983-1984 Laurent Fignon · 1985 Bernard Hinault · 1986 Greg LeMond · 1987 Stephen Roche · 1988 Pedro Delgado · 1989-1990 Greg LeMond · 1991-1995 Miguel Indurain · 1996 Bjarne Riis · 1997 Jan Ullrich · 1998 Marco Pantani · 1999-2005 Lance Armstrong, disqualified · 2006 Óscar Pereiro (Floyd Landis, disqualified) · 2007 Alberto Contador · 2008 Carlos Sastre · 2009–10 Alberto Contador · 2011 Cadel Evans · 2012 Bradley Wiggins · 2013 Chris Froome · 2014 Vincenzo Nibali |