Wednesday, December 18, 2024
He was going to turn 91 this Friday, but the emperor has died. Cycling mourns Rik van Looy, the first rider to win all five monuments. “An immense champion, an absolute icon with an incredible record,” says Eddy Merckx. «He was a great figure. Sometimes I would stand next to him at the start, he was my idol,” reveals Roger de Vlaeminck. They are the only three cyclists in history to have won Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Giro de Lombardia, something that no one has achieved since ‘Gitano’ De Vlaeminck conquered in 1977. end Flanders and which is now being pursued by Tadej Pogacar himself, who still needs to win in Roubaix and San Remo.
Van Looy has been defeated by an illness that he had been dealing with quite easily for some time but it cornered him just a few weeks ago, as Eddy Merckx explained: «Although he was sick, he took the trouble to call me when I was in the hospital after my fall. ten days ago. “It wasn’t until a month ago that his physical condition deteriorated.” A monument has been erected in his honor in the Plaza de Herentals for years.
As with all the greats of the glorious era, his record is liquid, because he has 397 victories but it would be more. He scored three Paris-Roubaix (1961, 1962, 1965) and two Tours of Flanders (1959, 1962). In Sanremo (1958), Liège (1961) and Lombardy (1959) he won once. He won two World Cups (1960 and 1961) and was almost more famous when he lost in 1963 at home, in Renaix. The lamented Txomin Perurena recounted that race like this: «The Belgian team was designed so that the legendary Rik van Looy would win the sprint. However, his teammate Beheyt threw so much at him… that he won and left him without a rainbow jersey. He gave him the last relief and launched himself. That caused rivers of ink to flow in Belgium.
Its eight monuments and two world championships are joined by other great classics on the calendar such as Ghent-Wevelgem, Flèche Wallonne or Paris-Tours. He wore the leader’s jersey in the Vuelta, Giro and Tour and had a total of 37 stage victories in the three grand tours. He also stood out on the track, with 12 Six Day races won.
Giant among colossi
He was a giant in a time of colossi. He faced Fausto Coppi, Ferdi Kubler, Hugo Koblet, Louison Bobet, Jacques Anquetil, Charly Gaul, Poulidor, Van Steenbergen, Merckx… Professional from 1954 to 1970, in his first season he won the Ghent-Wevelgem and the canonical Flemish press He gave him his blessing. They called him ‘Rik II’, marking him as the successor to the great Rik van Steenbergen, three-time world champion. That second-best sign would soon be removed from anyone. He understood modernity and functioned with ease in front of cameras and microphones. Always elegant, he was a popular character. He knew how to manage his career and form a praetorian guard faithful to his service in the Faema team for his best years, which supported him in the great classics.
He rivaled Steenbergen in the finishes, with his phenomenal top speed. Those sprints with the cyclists sitting in the saddle and pedaling at very high speeds – the term ‘grinder’ had not yet been invented – remain in history. Miguel Poblet also had to suffer.
In 1965, Van Looy saw a young debutant join his team, Solo Superia. “I knew instantly that he would be the best in the world,” he recalled. It was Eddy Merckx. The crash was inevitable, and the ‘Cannibal’ came out the following year at Peugeot.
Flanders mourns its only emperor. For the Flemish, Van Looy is still the king; Merckx is from Brussels.
