Lucien Van Impe
Encyclopedia
Lucien van Impe was a Belgian cyclist from 1969 to 1987. He excelled mainly as a climber in multiple-day races such as the Tour de France
. He was the winner of the 1976 Tour de France
, and six times winner of the mountains classification
in the Tour de France.
Federico Bahamontes
, a climber nicknamed the eagle of Toledo
and a former Tour de France winner. In 1968 van Impe was King of the Mountains in the Tour de l'Avenir
. Bahamontes used his influence to get van Impe a contract as a professional. In 1969, Van Impe started his professional career with a 12th place in the 1969 Tour de France
.
In 1971, Van Impe won his first Mountains classification in the Tour de France. He would repeat that five more times, a record then shared with Bahamontes. When Richard Virenque
broke the record with a seventh victory in 2004
, Van Impe criticized Virenque for being opportunistic rather than the best climber; he said he had himself refrained from breaking Bahamontes' record himself out of reverence.
Van Impe's Sonolor team fused with Gitane to become Gitane-Campagnolo
in 1975. Former French champion Cyrille Guimard
, who retired in early 1976, became directeur sportif
in 1976. In that year van Impe duelled several times with Zoetemelk in the mountains of the 1976 Tour de France
. Guimard claims it was his order to attack Zoetemelk that won van Impe the Tour, shouting at van Impe that he'd run him off the road with the car if he didn't attack. Van Impe has denied this. After 1976, van Impe changed teams. In the 1977 Tour de France
he started favorite but failed to take a lead in the mountains. He waited until the last mountain stage, to Alpe d'Huez, but forgot to eat, causing him to lose his lead. In that tour, he was caught by one of the accompanying cars and fell, another cause for his defeat by Bernard Thévenet.
After three lesser years, van Impe made a comeback in 1981 with second place and first in the mountain classification. He won the mountain classification in the Giro d'Italia
twice.
Single-day races were not his specialty and it was a surprise that he won the national championship in 1983.
Van Impe started 15 Tours de France and reached the finish in Paris every time (second most Tour finishes after Joop Zoetemelk
, and tied with Viatcheslav Ekimov
who did the same in 2006).
He is now head of a cycling team of professional riders, called Veranda Willems.
Lucien lives in Impe (his family name refers to that place) with his wife Rita, he has two grown up children, a son and a daughter. His house is called Alpe D'Huez, after the French mountain where he took the yellow jersey (the leader in the Tour de France) in 1976. When he came home that year, the bar where his supporters gathered every day to watch him win the Tour, was painted yellow entirely.
During or after his professional career, Van Impe has never tested positive, refused a doping test or confessed having used doping.
1972
1973
1975
1976
1977
1979
1981
1982
1983
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
. He was the winner of the 1976 Tour de France
1976 Tour de France
The 1976 Tour de France was the 63rd Tour de France, taking place June 24 to July 18, 1976. The total race distance was 22 stages over 4017 km, with riders averaging 34.518 km/h.It was won by mountain specialist Lucien Van Impe...
, and six times winner of the mountains classification
Polka dot jersey
The Mountains classification in the Tour de France is a secondary classification in the Tour de France, in which cyclists receive points for reaching a mountain top first...
in the Tour de France.
Biography
Van Impe credits the start of his career to SpaniardSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Federico Bahamontes
Federico Bahamontes
Federico Martín Bahamontes is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist.-Biography:Bahamontes was born in Santo Domingo-Caudilla , of Cuban descent. His family was devastated during the Spanish civil war and Bahamontes' father, Julián, took the family to Madrid as refugees...
, a climber nicknamed the eagle of Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
and a former Tour de France winner. In 1968 van Impe was King of the Mountains in the Tour de l'Avenir
Tour de l'Avenir
Tour de l'Avenir is a French road bicycle racing stage race, which started in 1961 as a race similar to the Tour de France and over much of the same course but for amateurs and for semi-professionals known as independents. Riders competed in national teams...
. Bahamontes used his influence to get van Impe a contract as a professional. In 1969, Van Impe started his professional career with a 12th place in the 1969 Tour de France
1969 Tour de France
The 1969 Tour de France was the 56th Tour de France, taking place June 28 to July 20, 1969. It consisted of 22 stages over 4110 km , ridden at an average speed of 35.409 km/h...
.
In 1971, Van Impe won his first Mountains classification in the Tour de France. He would repeat that five more times, a record then shared with Bahamontes. When Richard Virenque
Richard Virenque
Richard VirenqueRichard Virenque's name is pronounced Ree-shah Vee-rahnk. Virenque considers himself a man of the South but pronounces his name in standard French. Confusion is caused by the southern habit of pronouncing "en" as "ang" or "eng", making it Vee-rank. But Virenque says Vee-rahnk or...
broke the record with a seventh victory in 2004
2004 Tour de France
The 2004 Tour de France was the 91st, taking place from July 3 to July 25, 2004. It consisted of 20 stages over 3391 km.Lance Armstrong became the first to win six Tours de France. Armstrong had been favored to win, his competitors seen as being German Jan Ullrich, Spaniards Roberto Heras and...
, Van Impe criticized Virenque for being opportunistic rather than the best climber; he said he had himself refrained from breaking Bahamontes' record himself out of reverence.
Van Impe's Sonolor team fused with Gitane to become Gitane-Campagnolo
Gitane-Campagnolo
Gitane-Campagnolo was a French professional cycling team from 1972 to 1977 which rode on Gitane racing bikes.-History:The team was called Gitane in 1972 and was directed by Andre Desvrages for whom, in 1973, future 1980 Tour de France winner Joop Zoetemelk rode. Gitane had sponsored teams during...
in 1975. Former French champion Cyrille Guimard
Cyrille Guimard
Cyrille Guimard is a French former professional road racing cyclist who became a directeur sportif and then a television commentator...
, who retired in early 1976, became directeur sportif
Directeur sportif
A directeur sportif is a person directing a cycling team during a road bicycle racing event...
in 1976. In that year van Impe duelled several times with Zoetemelk in the mountains of the 1976 Tour de France
1976 Tour de France
The 1976 Tour de France was the 63rd Tour de France, taking place June 24 to July 18, 1976. The total race distance was 22 stages over 4017 km, with riders averaging 34.518 km/h.It was won by mountain specialist Lucien Van Impe...
. Guimard claims it was his order to attack Zoetemelk that won van Impe the Tour, shouting at van Impe that he'd run him off the road with the car if he didn't attack. Van Impe has denied this. After 1976, van Impe changed teams. In the 1977 Tour de France
1977 Tour de France
The 1977 Tour de France was the 64th Tour de France, taking place June 30 to July 24, 1977. The total race distance was 22 stages over 4096 km, with riders averaging 35.419 km/h....
he started favorite but failed to take a lead in the mountains. He waited until the last mountain stage, to Alpe d'Huez, but forgot to eat, causing him to lose his lead. In that tour, he was caught by one of the accompanying cars and fell, another cause for his defeat by Bernard Thévenet.
After three lesser years, van Impe made a comeback in 1981 with second place and first in the mountain classification. He won the mountain classification in the Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
twice.
Single-day races were not his specialty and it was a surprise that he won the national championship in 1983.
Van Impe started 15 Tours de France and reached the finish in Paris every time (second most Tour finishes after Joop Zoetemelk
Joop Zoetemelk
Hendrik Gerardus Jozef "Joop" Zoetemelk is a retired professional racing cyclist from the Netherlands who has emigrated to France. He started the Tour de France 16 times and finished every time, a record. He won the race in 1980 and also came eighth, fifth, fourth and second...
, and tied with Viatcheslav Ekimov
Viatcheslav Ekimov
Viatcheslav Vladimirovich Ekimov , nicknamed Eki, is a Russian former professional racing cyclist...
who did the same in 2006).
He is now head of a cycling team of professional riders, called Veranda Willems.
Lucien lives in Impe (his family name refers to that place) with his wife Rita, he has two grown up children, a son and a daughter. His house is called Alpe D'Huez, after the French mountain where he took the yellow jersey (the leader in the Tour de France) in 1976. When he came home that year, the bar where his supporters gathered every day to watch him win the Tour, was painted yellow entirely.
During or after his professional career, Van Impe has never tested positive, refused a doping test or confessed having used doping.
Most important successes
1971-
Winner Mountains classification
1972
- Stage in Tour de France
- Winner Mountains classification
1973
- Stage in Tour de France
1975
- 2 stages in Tour de France
- Winner Mountains classification
1976
-
Tour de France - Stage in Tour de France
1977
- Stage in Tour de France
- Winner Mountains classification
1979
- Stage in Tour de France
- Stage in Vuelta a España
1981
- Stage in Tour de France
- Winner Mountains classification
1982
-
Winner Mountains classification in the Giro d'ItaliaMountains classification in the Giro d'ItaliaThe mountains classification in the Giro d'Italia is a secondary classification. In this classification, points are awarded to the leading riders over designated climbs. Most climbs are sorted into one of three scales based on difficulty and its position on that day's stage...
1983
- Stage in Giro d'Italia
- Winner Mountains classification in the Giro d'ItaliaMountains classification in the Giro d'ItaliaThe mountains classification in the Giro d'Italia is a secondary classification. In this classification, points are awarded to the leading riders over designated climbs. Most climbs are sorted into one of three scales based on difficulty and its position on that day's stage...
-
Belgian championship on the road - Stage in Tour de France
- Winner Mountains classification
Grand Tour results timeline
| 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tour Tour de France The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The... |
12 1969 Tour de France The 1969 Tour de France was the 56th Tour de France, taking place June 28 to July 20, 1969. It consisted of 22 stages over 4110 km , ridden at an average speed of 35.409 km/h... |
6 1970 Tour de France The 1970 Tour de France was the 57th Tour de France, taking place June 27 to July 19, 1970. It consisted of 23 stages over 4366 km, ridden at an average speed of 35.589 km/h.... |
3 1971 Tour de France The 1971 Tour de France was the 58th Tour de France, taking place June 26 to July 18, 1971. It consisted of 22 stages over , ridden at an average speed of .... |
4 1972 Tour de France The 1972 Tour de France was the 59th Tour de France, taking place July 1 to July 22, 1972. It consisted of 20 stages over 3846.6 km, ridden at an average speed of 35.371 km/h. The long awaited clash between Eddy Merckx and Luis Ocaña after Ocaña crashed on Col de Menté in the 1971 Tour de... |
5 1973 Tour de France The 1973 Tour de France was the 60th Tour de France, taking place June 30 to July 22, 1973. It consisted of 20 stages over 4140.4 km, ridden at an average speed of 33.918 km/h. After winning the 1973 Vuelta a España and the 1973 Giro d'Italia, Eddy Merckx did not participate in the Tour... |
18 1974 Tour de France The 1974 Tour de France was the 61st Tour de France, taking place June 27 to July 21, 1974. It consisted of 22 stages over 4098 km, ridden at an average speed of 35.241 km/h... |
3 1975 Tour de France The 1975 Tour de France was the 62nd Tour de France, taking place June 26 to July 20, 1975. It consisted of 22 stages over 3999 km, ridden at an average speed of 34.899 km/h. Eddy Merckx was attempting to win his sixth Tour de France, but became a victim of violence. Many Frenchmen were... |
1 1976 Tour de France The 1976 Tour de France was the 63rd Tour de France, taking place June 24 to July 18, 1976. The total race distance was 22 stages over 4017 km, with riders averaging 34.518 km/h.It was won by mountain specialist Lucien Van Impe... |
3 1977 Tour de France The 1977 Tour de France was the 64th Tour de France, taking place June 30 to July 24, 1977. The total race distance was 22 stages over 4096 km, with riders averaging 35.419 km/h.... |
9 1978 Tour de France The 1978 Tour de France was the 65th Tour de France, taking place June 29 to July 23, 1978. The total race distance was 22 stages over 3908 km, with riders averaging 36.084 km/h... |
11 1979 Tour de France The 1979 Tour de France was the 66th Tour de France, taking place June 27 to July 22, 1979. The total race distance was 24 stages over 3765 km, with riders averaging 36.513 km/h. It was the only tour to finish at L'Alpe d'Huez twice. It was won by Bernard Hinault, who also won the points... |
16 1980 Tour de France The 1980 Tour de France was the 67th Tour de France. The total distance was 3945.5 km over 22 stages, the average speed of the riders was 35.317 km/h.... |
2 1981 Tour de France The 1981 Tour de France was the 68th Tour de France, taking place June 25 to July 19, 1981. The total race distance was 24 stages over 3753 km, with riders averaging 38.96 km/h.... |
DNE | 4 1983 Tour de France The 1983 Tour de France was the 70th Tour de France, run from 1 to 22 July 1982 in 22 stages and a prologue, over a total distance of 3862 km., won by French rider Laurent Fignon. Sean Kelly of Ireland won the green jersey, and Lucien Van Impe of Belgium won the polka dot jersey... |
DNE | 27 1985 Tour de France The 1985 Tour de France was the 72nd Tour de France, taking place June 28 to July 21, 1985, over 4109 km in 22 stages and a prologue.Bernard Hinault would attempt to equal the records of Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx who had each won the Tour de France five times. Hinault was unable to... |
DNE |
| Stages won | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | 1 | — | 0 | — |
| Mountains classification | 12 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 1 | — | 1 | — | NR | — |
| Points classification | NR | NR | 9 | 9 | 8 | NR | 10 | 9 | 10 | NR | 6 | NR | 17 | — | NR | — | NR | — |
| Giro Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar... |
DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | 4 | 9 | 7 | 13 | DNE |
| Stages won | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Mountains classification | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 12 | NR | — |
| Points classification | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | NR | NR | NR | — |
| Vuelta Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages... |
DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | 14 | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | 11 |
| Stages won | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Mountains classification | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NR | — | — | — | — | — | — | NR |
| Points classification | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NR |