Albert Van Vlierberghe
# Albert Van Vlierberghe

Albert Van Vlierberghe (18 March 1942 – 20 December 1991) was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. Van Vlierberghe won three stages in the Tour de France, and three stages in the Giro d'Italia. He also competed in the team time trial and the team pursuit events at the 1964 Summer Olympics.

In his 1999 book, Breaking the Chain: Drugs and Cycling, the True Story, Belgian sports physiotherapist Willy Voet described an incident involving Van Vlierberghe that occurred during the 1979 Deutschland Tour. Voet, then the soigneur with Van Vlierberghe's team, Flandria, claims that Van Vlierberghe, "a decent Belgian racer but with no taste for the hills," asked Voet to drive him ahead of his fellow racers to avoid a six-mile stretch of hill in the course. Voet claims that Van Vlierberghe slipped back into the race without being detected and went on to place sixth on the stage. Voet used the incident to defend his assertion that for many professional riders at the time, cheating was "a way of life."

## Major results

### 1963

    National Road Championships
       1st Amateur road race

### 1965

    Volta a Portugal
       1st stage 17
    1st Tour du Loir-et-Cher
       1st stage 3

### 1966

    1st Mere [nl]
    Tour de France:
       1st stage 7
    1st Westouter
    1st Omloop der Vlaamse Gewesten
    1st Belsele - Puivelde
    Tour de Romandie
       1st prologue TTT
    1st Strombeek-Bever
    2nd Omloop Mandel-Leie-Schelde
    3rd GP Stad Vilvoorde

### 1967

    1st Kemzeke
    1st Kortrijk
    1st Malderen
    Giro d'Italia:
       1st stage 9

### 1968

    1st Belsele - Puivelde
    1st De Kustpijl
    1st Stekene
    1st Zwijnaarde
    3rd Omloop van Oost-Vlaanderen

### 1969

    1st GP Hannut
    1st Oostakker
    1st Sint-Martens-Lierde
    Giro d'Italia:
       1st stage 5
       2nd stage 2
    1st Giro delle Tre Province
    Giro di Sardegna
       1st stage 4
    2nd Dwars door Vlaanderen
    2nd Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
       2nd stage 4
       2nd stage 5
    2nd Poperinge - Harelbeke
    3rd GP Cemab

### 1970

    Tour de France
       Winner stage 16
    1st Flèche Rebecquoise
    1st Harelbeke - Poperinge - Harelbeke
    3rd De Pinte

### 1971

    Tour de France:
       1st stage 1c
    1st Alassio
    1st GP E5 Heverlee
    1st Harelbeke - Poperinge - Harelbeke
    1st Houthulst
    Omloop van de Fruitstreek Alken
    1st Sassari - Cagliari
    1st Sint-Gillis-Waas
    1st Waasmunster
    1st GP Hannut
    1st Grote Prijs Stad Zottegem
    2nd Bruxelles–Meulebeke

### 1972

    1st Bruxelles–Meulebeke
    1st De Panne II
    Giro d'Italia:
       Winner stage 9
    1st GP Hannut
    1st Maria-Aalter
    1st Ottignies
    1st Sinaai
    2nd Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria
    5th Overall Giro di Sardegna

### 1973

    1st Grand Prix de Wallonie
    Paris-Nice
       1st stage 6 TTT
    1st Lokeren
    1st Omloop Scheldeboorden
    Tour of Belgium
       1st prologue TTT
       1st points classification
    3rd Omloop Het Volk

### 1974

    1st GP Roeselare
    1st Ninove
    1st Oostakker
    1st Sinaai
    1st Zele

### 1975

    1st Belsele - Puivelde
    1st Bilzen
    3rd Grand Prix Impanis-Van Petegem

### 1976

    2nd Omloop van Oost-Vlaanderen
    1st Zwevezele

### 1977

    1st GP Gemeente Kortemark
    1st Zele
    3rd Grand Prix de Denain
    3rd Stekene

### 1978

    1st Baasrode
    2nd Grand Prix de Wallonie
    2nd Circuit de la Région Linière

### 1979

    1st Sint-Martens-Lierde

### 1980

    1st Baasrode
    1st Belsele
