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.
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. 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.
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.
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
1st Mountains classification
1972
4th Overall 1972 Tour de France
1st Mountains classification
1st Stage 12
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 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
3rd Overall Criterium du Dauphine
1st Stage 6
2nd Overall Tour de Suisse
1st Stage 7
1st Stage 8
1979
5th Overall Vuelta a Espana
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
1982
2nd Overall Giro d' Italia
1st Mountains classification
1983
1st National Road Race Champion
4th Overall Tour de France
1st Mountains classification
1st Stage 19
9th Overall Giro d' Italia
1st Mountains classification
1st Stage 11
1986
1st Overall Vuelta a los Valles Mineros
1st Stage 1
References
Other websites
Cycling hall of fame biography
1946 births
Living people
Belgian cyclists
People from East Flanders
Tour de France winners