Erik De Vlaeminck

Erik De Vlaeminck
	De Vlaeminck in 1971
Personal information
Full name	Erik De Vlaeminck
Born	23 March 1945; Eeklo, Belgium
Died	4 December 2015 (aged 70); Eeklo, Belgium
Team information
Discipline	Cyclo-cross/Road
Role	Rider
Major wins
	Grand Tours Tour de France 1 individual stage (1968) Stage races Tour of Belgium (1969) Paris–Luxembourg (1970) One-day races and Classics GP Union Dortmund (1968) Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen (1969) Omloop der Vlaamse Ardennen (1969) Dwars door West-Vlaanderen (1969) Grand Prix of Aargau Canton (1970) Cyclo-cross Championships World Championship (1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973) National Championship (1967, 1969, 1971, 1972)
Medal record
Men's cyclo-cross
Representing Belgium
World Championships

Erik De Vlaeminck (23 March 1945 − 4 December 2015) was a Belgian cyclist who became cyclo-cross world-champion seven times (in 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973), a record for male riders.

Professional career

De Vlaeminck missed 1967 only because his bike was damaged during the race. He also became Belgian champion four times (1967, 1969, 1971, 1972) at a time when there were so many good Belgian riders that the domestic championship was often harder than the world-championship.

He also performed creditably in road races, including the Tour de France. In 1969 he won the Tour of Belgium and a stage in the Tour de France.

De Vlaeminck never failed a drugs test in his racing career but was treated after it for amphetamine addiction. Many stories circulate about his supposed wild behaviour after races and after his career was over. When he returned to racing, the Belgian federation would offer him a license for only a day at a time until it saw how his life would progress. De Vlaeminck subsequently refused to speak about this period of his life.

His re-establishment was complete, however, because he became the national cyclo-cross coach and led Belgium to a dominating period of international success. He always complained, however, that while cyclo-cross brought Belgium its world championship medals, it was to road racing that the bulk of the funds were given.

Personal life

De Vlaeminck was the brother of Roger De Vlaeminck. His son Geert died, aged 26, of a heart attack in a cyclo-cross race while his father was watching.^[1]

In later life, De Vlaeminck had Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. He died on 4 December 2015 at the age of 70.^[2]

Honours

From 2000, an annual cyclo-cross named Grand Prix Eric De Vlaeminck is organized in Heusden-Zolder,

De Vlaeminck was introduced in the UCI Cycling Hall of Fame in 2002.

Major results

Road

1968

Stage 2 Tour de France

1st Circuit du Tournaisis

1st GP Union Dortmund

1969

1st

Overall Tour of Belgium

1st Stage 1

1st Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen

1st Omloop der Vlaamse Ardennen

1st Stage 1 GP du Midi Libre

1st Ronde van West-Vlaanderen

1st Dwars door West-Vlaanderen

2nd La Flèche Wallonne

2nd Boucles de l'Aulne

2nd GP Roeselare

2nd Leeuwse Pijl

3rd Gent–Wevelgem

3rd Elfstedenronde

3rd Omloop der Zennevallei

3rd Renaix-Tournai-Renaix

3rd Omloop van het Waasland

1970

1st Ronde van West-Vlaanderen

1st

Overall Paris–Luxembourg

1st Grand Prix of Aargau Canton

2nd Omloop der drie Provinciën

3rd Elfstedenronde

3rd La Flèche Wallonne

3rd Overall Tour of Belgium

3rd GP Flandria

1971

1st GP Flandria

1st Prologue Tour of Luxembourg

1st De Panne II

2nd Prix de St. Amands

1972

2nd Grote Prijs Marcel Kint

1977

7th Overall Tour d'Indre-et-Loire

1st

Points classification

1st Stage 2

3rd E3 Harelbeke

Cyclo-cross

1963: 2nd Cyclo-cross Zonhoven; 2nd Druivencross Overijse
1964: 3rd Jaarmarktcross Niel; 3rd Druivencross Overijse
1965: 1st Jaarmarktcross Niel; 1st Druivencross Overijse; 1st Grand Prix du Nouvel-An
1966: 1st UCI World CX Championships; 1st National CX Championships; 1st Jaarmarktcross Niel; 1st Noordzeecross Middelkerke; 1st Druivencross Overijse
1967: 1st Jaarmarktcross Niel; 1st Druivencross Overijse; 1st Cyclocross Vossem
1968: 1st UCI World CX Championships; 1st National CX Championships; 1st Jaarmarktcross Niel; 1st Druivencross Overijse; 1st Cyclocross Vossem; 1st Cyclocross Asse; 1st Cyclocross Berlin; 1st Cyclocross Eeklo; 1st Cyclocross Fribourg; 1st Cyclocross Gelsenkirchen; 1st Cyclocross Hannover; 1st Cyclocross Rieux; 1st Cyclocross Tervuren; 1st Cyclocross Wetteren
1969: 1st UCI World CX Championships; 1st Noordzeecross Middelkerke; 1st Flemish championship cyclo racing; 1st Cyclocross Binningen; 1st Cyclocross Erembodegem; 1st Cyclocross Lucerne; 1st Cyclocross Mannheim; 1st Cyclocross Stuttgart; 1st Cyclocross Vaprio d'Agogna; 1st Cyclocross Westerburg; 2nd Druivencross Overijse; 2nd Cyclocross Vossem
1970: 1st UCI World CX Championships; 1st Duinencross Koksijde; 1st Noordzeecross Middelkerke; 1st Provincial Championship Cyclocross Waasmunster; 1st Cyclophile Aigle; 1st Novate Milanese; 1st Cyclocross Pieterlen; 1st Cyclocross Estavayer; 1st Cyclocross Heusden; 1st Cyclocross Otegem
1971: 1st UCI World CX Championships; 1st National CX Championships; 1st Duinencross Koksijde; 1st Noordzeecross Middelkerke; 1st Druivencross Overijse; 1st Cyclophile Aigle
1972: 1st UCI World CX Championships; 1st National CX Championships; 1st Druivencross Overijse; 1st Novate Milanese; 1st Cyclocross Zürich
1973: 1st UCI World CX Championships; 1st Noordzeecross Middelkerke; 1st Cyclocross Valladolid; 3rd Druivencross Overijse
1975: 1st Noordzeecross Middelkerke; 1st Cyclo-cross Championship of Hainaut; 2nd National CX Championships
1976: 1st Druivencross Overijse; 3rd National CX Championships
1977: 3rd UCI World CX Championships; 3rd National CX Championships
1978: 1st Cyclo-cross Gavere
1979: 1st Jaarmarktcross Niel

References

^ "Portret van Erik De Vlaeminck: "Hij was de beste veldrijder allertijden"". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 4 December 2015.
^ "Zevenvoudig wereldkampioen veldrijden Eric De Vlaeminck is overleden". sporza. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2015.

External links

Erik De Vlaeminck at Cycling Archives (archived)
Official Tour de France results for Eric De Vlaeminck

[1] "Portret van Erik De Vlaeminck: "Hij was de beste veldrijder allertijden"". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 4 December 2015.

[2] "Zevenvoudig wereldkampioen veldrijden Eric De Vlaeminck is overleden". sporza. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2015.

[1]

[2]

v t e UCI Cyclo-cross World Champions – Men's elite race
1950–1959	1950: Jean Robic (FRA) 1951: Roger Rondeaux (FRA) 1952: Roger Rondeaux (FRA) 1953: Roger Rondeaux (FRA) 1954: André Dufraisse (FRA) 1955: André Dufraisse (FRA) 1956: André Dufraisse (FRA) 1957: André Dufraisse (FRA) 1958: André Dufraisse (FRA) 1959: Renato Longo (ITA)
1960–1979	1960: Rolf Wolfshohl (GER) 1961: Rolf Wolfshohl (GER) 1962: Renato Longo (ITA) 1963: Rolf Wolfshohl (GER) 1964: Renato Longo (ITA) 1965: Renato Longo (ITA) 1966: Erik De Vlaeminck (BEL) 1967: Renato Longo (ITA) 1968: Erik De Vlaeminck (BEL) 1969: Erik De Vlaeminck (BEL) 1970: Erik De Vlaeminck (BEL) 1971: Erik De Vlaeminck (BEL) 1972: Erik De Vlaeminck (BEL) 1973: Erik De Vlaeminck (BEL) 1974: Albert Van Damme (BEL) 1975: Roger De Vlaeminck (BEL) 1976: Albert Zweifel (SUI) 1977: Albert Zweifel (SUI) 1978: Albert Zweifel (SUI) 1979: Albert Zweifel (SUI)
1980–1999	1980: Roland Liboton (BEL) 1981: Hennie Stamsnijder (NED) 1982: Roland Liboton (BEL) 1983: Roland Liboton (BEL) 1984: Roland Liboton (BEL) 1985: Klaus-Peter Thaler (GER) 1986: Albert Zweifel (SUI) 1987: Klaus-Peter Thaler (GER) 1988: Pascal Richard (SUI) 1989: Danny De Bie (BEL) 1990: Henk Baars (NED) 1991: Radomír Šimůnek (CZE) 1992: Mike Kluge (GER) 1993: Dominique Arnould (FRA) 1994: Paul Herygers (BEL) 1995: Dieter Runkel (SUI) 1996: Adri van der Poel (NED) 1997: Daniele Pontoni (ITA) 1998: Mario De Clercq (BEL) 1999: Mario De Clercq (BEL)
2000–2019	2000: Richard Groenendaal (NED) 2001: Erwin Vervecken (BEL) 2002: Mario De Clercq (BEL) 2003: Bart Wellens (BEL) 2004: Bart Wellens (BEL) 2005: Sven Nys (BEL) 2006: Erwin Vervecken (BEL) 2007: Erwin Vervecken (BEL) 2008: Lars Boom (NED) 2009: Niels Albert (BEL) 2010: Zdeněk Štybar (CZE) 2011: Zdeněk Štybar (CZE) 2012: Niels Albert (BEL) 2013: Sven Nys (BEL) 2014: Zdeněk Štybar (CZE) 2015: Mathieu van der Poel (NED) 2016: Wout van Aert (BEL) 2017: Wout van Aert (BEL) 2018: Wout van Aert (BEL) 2019: Mathieu van der Poel (NED)
2020–2039	2020: Mathieu van der Poel (NED) 2021: Mathieu van der Poel (NED) 2022: Tom Pidcock (GBR) 2023: Mathieu van der Poel (NED) 2024: Mathieu van der Poel (NED)

v t e Belgian National Cyclo-cross Champions (men)
1900–1919	Philippe Thys (1910) Joseph Van Ingelghem (1912) Henri Moerenhout (1913) Joseph Van Ingelghem (1914)
1920–1939	René Vermandel (1921) Maurice De Waele (1922) Théodore Van Eetvelde (1923) Joseph Van Dam (1924) Pé Verhaegen (1925) Henri Moerenhout (1926) Jean Meeuwis (1927) Jules Goedhuys (1928) Georges Ronsse (1929–1930) Jules Goedhuys (1931) Jef Demuysere (1932) Maurice Seynaeve (1933–1937) Omer Thys (1938–1939)
1940–1959	Richard Blendeman (1941) Eugeen Jacobs (1942–1943) Frans Van Hellemont (1944) Georges Vandermeirsch (1945–1947) Frans De Coster (1948) Georges Vandermeirsch (1949) Firmin Van Kerrebroeck (1950) Georges Vandermeirsch (1951) Firmin Van Kerrebroeck (1952) Georges Furnière (1953) Frans Feremans (1954) Firmin Van Kerrebroeck (1955–1956) René De Rey (1957) Firmin Van Kerrebroeck (1958) René De Rey (1959)
1960–1979	Roger De Clercq (1960) Firmin Van Kerrebroeck (1961) Roger De Clercq (1962) Albert Van Damme (1963) Roger De Clercq (1964) Albert Van Damme (1965–1966) Erik De Vlaeminck (1967) Albert Van Damme (1968) Erik De Vlaeminck (1969) Albert Van Damme (1970) Erik De Vlaeminck (1971–1972) Albert Van Damme (1973) Roger De Vlaeminck (1974–1975) Marc De Block (1976–1977) Roger De Vlaeminck (1978) Jan Teugels (1979)
1980–1999	Roland Liboton (1980–1989) Danny De Bie (1990–1992) Paul Herygers (1993) Peter Van Den Abeele (1994) Marc Janssens (1995) Erwin Vervecken (1996) Paul Herygers (1997) Marc Janssens (1998–1999)
2000–2019	Sven Nys (2000) Mario De Clercq (2001–2002) Sven Nys (2003) Bart Wellens (2004) Sven Nys (2005–2006) Bart Wellens (2007) Sven Nys (2008–2010) Niels Albert (2011) Sven Nys (2012) Klaas Vantornout (2013) Sven Nys (2014) Klaas Vantornout (2015) Wout van Aert (2016–2018) Toon Aerts (2019)
2020–2039	Laurens Sweeck (2020) Wout van Aert (2021–2022) Michael Vanthourenhout (2023) Eli Iserbyt (2024)