Rik Van Looy was born on December 20, 1933 at Grobbendonk, Belgium. Nicknamed the “King of the Classics” and “Emperor of Herentals”. A solid classics rider, only Grand Prix de Nations and Bordeaux-Paris are missing from his list of major classic victories.

Van Looy  was the first cyclist to win all five of cycling’s monuments (Paris-Roubaix, Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Tour of Flanders) for a total of eight victories in these races, including three wins in Paris-Roubaix.

Having been third in the 1953 world road race championship as an amateur, he won the professional title twice, 1960 and 1961, and was second in 1956 and 1963.

In the Grand Tours, Van Looy won the Points Jersey in the 1963 Tour de France and the Mountains Jersey in the 1960 Giro d’Italia. His lack of strength as a time trialist was his greatest weakness, as he had 38 stage wins in the three big tours but did not win any of them.

Van Looy won the Paris-Roubaix three times; 1961, 1962, and 1965. In other one-day races, Van Looy won Milan-San Remo in 1958, Ghent-Wevelgem in 1956, 1957, and 1962, Tour of Flanders in 1959 and 1962, Paris-Tours in 1959 and 1967, Tour of Lombardy in 1959, Liege-Bastogne-Liege in 1961, Ghent-Wevelgem in 1956, 1957, and 1962.

Utilizing his trademark sprinting abilities, Van Looy was also an accomplished 6-day rider. Riding in 43 six-day races, he won a total of 12, 9 teamed with Peter Post.

Van Looy’s career spanned eighteen seasons beginning at age 19 in late 1953 and ending at age 36 in 1970.