Rudy Dhaenens
Rudy Dhaenens (10 April 1961 – 6 April 1998) was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer who is most famous for winning the road race at the 1990 UCI Road World Championships as a member of the Belgian national team. Dhaenens excelled several times in the Paris–Roubaix classic race; finishing second in 1986 and third the following year. Dhaenens won the 1990 World Championship Road Race, held in Utsunomiya, Japan, ahead of Dirk De Wolf of Belgium and Gianni Bugno of Italy. In 1992, Dhaenens was forced to stop his career because of heart problems. For a long time, he was in the service of the PDM cycling team, usually as tactical captain. Dhaenens was known for his calm, reserved attitude. He died in 1998, at the age of 36, from head injuries sustained in a car accident in Aalst while driving to the finish of the Tour of Flanders bicycle race. From 1999 to 2007, the Grand Prix Rudy Dhaenens was held in his honour in late March, in Nevele, Belgium. Career achievements Major results 1981 2nd Ronde van Vlaanderen Beloften 1984 3rd Overall Tour de Luxembourg 4th Amstel Gold Race 8th Gent–Wevelgem 1985 1st Druivenkoers Overijse 3rd Gent–Wevelgem 3rd Road race, National Road Championships 5th Paris–Roubaix 10th Overall 4 Jours de Dunkerque 10th Overall Tour of Belgium 10th Paris–Tours 1986 1st Stage 11 Tour de France 2nd Paris–Roubaix 2nd De Kustpijl 6th Overall Tour de Luxembourg 1st Stage 1 7th Gent–Wevelgem 10th Overall 4 Jours de Dunkerque 1987 3rd Paris–Roubaix 4th Trofeo Laigueglia 6th Gent–Wevelgem 1988 4th Omloop Het Volk 8th Tour of Flanders 8th Gent–Wevelgem 1989 5th Grand Prix de la Libération (TTT) 7th Milan–San Remo 9th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 10th Overall Ronde van Nederland 1990 1st Road race, UCI Road World Championships 1st Stage 2a Vuelta a Asturias 2nd Tour of Flanders 2nd Druivenkoers Overijse 3rd Wincanton Classic 4th Liège–Bastogne–Liège 5th Tre Valli Varesine 8th GP des Amériques 9th Paris–Roubaix 10th Gent–Wevelgem Tour de France record 1985: 101st overall 1986: 122nd overall; 1 stage win 1988: 87th overall 1990: 43rd overall Notes External links Official Tour de France results for Rudy Dhaenens 1961 births 1998 deaths People from Deinze Belgian male cyclists Belgian Tour de France stage winners UCI Road World Champions (elite men) Road incident deaths in Belgium Cyclists from East Flanders