Rik Van Steenbergen

Rik Van Steenbergen

Personal information
Full name	Rik Van Steenbergen
Nickname	Rik I (Rik II is Rik Van Looy)
Date of birth	9 September 1924(1924-09-09)
Date of death	15 May 2003 (aged 78)
Country	Belgium
Team information
Discipline	Road/Track
Role	Rider
Major wins
World Champion (1949, 1956 and 1957) Ronde van Vlaanderen (2x) Paris-Roubaix (2x) Flèche Wallonne (2x) Paris-Brussels Milan-Sanremo
Medal record Competitor for  Belgium Road bicycle racing World Championships Gold 1949 Copenhagen Elite Road Race Gold 1956 Copenhagen Elite Road Race Gold 1957 Waregem Elite Men's Race Bronze 1946 Zürich Elite Road Race
Infobox last updated on:
28 August 2008

Rik Van Steenbergen (9 September 1924 – 15 May 2003) was a Belgian racing cyclist, considered to be one of the best among the great number of successful Belgian cyclists.

Career

Van Steenbergen was born in Arendonk in a poor family. He started cycling as a professional during World War II in 1942, after being an amateur since he was 14. The next year, he won his first important races, and became Belgian road cycling champion. In 1944, he won the Ronde van Vlaanderen Classic, which he won again two years later.

During his career, which lasted until 1966, Van Steenbergen won several more classics: Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Brussels and Milan-Sanremo. He also won the World Road Cycling Championships three times (1949 Copenhagen, 1956 Copenhagen and 1957 Waregem), equalling the (still standing) record of Alfredo Binda. His last world title, a year after his second, was won in front of a home crowd. In addition, he placed third in the first post-war championships in 1946.

Van Steenbergen also excelled on the track, and won 40 Six-day events, and improved two world records. His track capabilities made him an excellent road sprinter. However, he usually had difficulty climbing, which prevented him from winning major stage races. He nevertheless placed 2nd in the 1951 Giro d'Italia. Some suggest he could have competed for victory in stage races had he concentrated on them, instead of racing almost every race he could enter. It is estimated Van Steenbergen won slightly fewer than 1000 races, though accounts differ widely.

Van Steenbergen died in Antwerp after a prolonged sickness at the age of 78. The funeral was in the Sint Pauluskerk of Westmalle, attended by about 2000 people, including Eddy Merckx, Rik van Looy, Roger De Vlaeminck, Walter Godefroot, Johan De Muynck, Lucien van Impe, Freddy Maertens and Briek Schotte. The UCI president Hein Verbruggen and Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt also attended.

When talking cycling, recalling those heroes from the past, the name of Rik Van Steenbergen is soon on the table. To honour him as the great sportsman he was, in 2004 a statue with his torso was placed on the Wampenberg in Arendonk.

Rik Van Steenbergen

Career highlights

• 3 World Road Cycling Championships (1949, 1956, 1957)
• 8 major classics wins (Ronde van Vlaanderen x 2, Paris-Roubaix x 2, Flèche Wallonne x 2, Paris-Bruxelles, Milan-Sanremo)
• 7 Belgian Road Championships
• 4 Stage wins in the Tour de France
• 15 Stage wins in the Giro d'Italia (including second overall 1951)
• 6 Stage wins in the Vuelta a España
• 40 Six Day wins
• 6 European Track Championships
• 9 Belgian Track Championships

Major Road Wins

External links

• Rik Van Steenbergen profile at the Cycling Website
• Official Tour de France results for Rik Van Steenbergen