Lucien Van Impe facts for kids
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Van Impe at the 1975 Acht van Chaam
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lucien Van Impe | ||
| Nickname | de kleine van Mere | ||
| Born | 20 October 1946 Mere, Belgium |
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| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Weight | 59 kg (130 lb; 9 st 4 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Retired | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | Climber | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Lucien Van Impe, born on October 20, 1946, is a famous former Belgian cyclist. He rode professionally from 1969 to 1987. Lucien was especially good at climbing hills and mountains in long cycling races like the Tour de France. He won the entire 1976 Tour de France and was also crowned "King of the Mountains" six times in that race.
Contents
Lucien Van Impe's Cycling Journey
Starting His Career
Lucien Van Impe credits a Spanish cyclist named Federico Bahamontes for helping him start his career. Bahamontes was known as "the eagle of Toledo" because he was an amazing climber. In 1968, Lucien won the "King of the Mountains" title in a race called the Tour de l'Avenir. Bahamontes used his influence to help Lucien get a professional contract. Lucien began his professional journey in 1969, finishing 12th in the 1969 Tour de France.
King of the Mountains
In 1971, Lucien won his first "mountains classification" in the Tour de France. This title goes to the best climber in the race. He won it five more times, making a total of six victories. This was a record he shared with Bahamontes for a long time.
Winning the Tour de France in 1976
In 1976, Lucien's team joined with another to become Gitane-Campagnolo. His new team manager, Cyrille Guimard, helped him a lot. The 1976 1976 Tour de France had many mountain stages, which was perfect for Lucien. The race became a close fight between Lucien and another strong rider, Joop Zoetemelk. Lucien attacked in the mountains, gaining a big lead. He then secured his victory by doing well in the final individual time trial. This made him the overall winner of the 1976 Tour de France!
Later Years and Records
After his big win in 1976, Lucien continued to race. In the 1977 Tour de France, he was leading in a mountain stage but had some bad luck. He was hit by a TV car and had to wait for a new bike, losing his lead.
Lucien rode very well in the 1981 Tour de France, finishing second overall. He also won the mountains classification again that year. In total, Lucien finished in the top 5 of the Tour de France eight times. He also won the mountains classification twice in the Giro d'Italia, another major cycling race.
Winning one-day races wasn't his main strength, so it was a surprise when he won the Belgian national championship in 1983. Lucien started 15 Tour de France races and finished every single one. This was a record at the time! Later, Joop Zoetemelk and Sylvain Chavanel passed his record.
Life After Racing
From 2007 to 2013, Lucien worked as a team manager for a professional cycling team. Lucien Van Impe lives in a town called Impe with his wife, Rita. His house is even named "Alpe D'Huez" after a famous mountain in the Tour de France where he once took the leader's yellow jersey.
Lucien has always been known for racing fairly. He has never failed a doping test or admitted to using banned substances. He has been honored with a special statue in Belgium, celebrating his amazing career. In 2017, Lucien had a heart attack but thankfully made a full recovery.
Major Achievements
Road Racing Highlights
- Tour de France
- Overall Winner: 1976
- Mountains Classification (Best Climber): 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1983
- Stage Wins: 9 stages between 1972 and 1983
- Giro d'Italia
- Mountains Classification: 1982, 1983
- Stage Wins: 1 stage in 1983
- Vuelta a España
- Stage Wins: 1 stage in 1979
- Belgian National Road Race Championships
- Winner: 1983
Grand Tour Finishes (Overall Position)
| Grand Tour | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Vuelta a España |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 |
 Giro d'Italia |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 9 | 7 | 13 | — |
| Tour de France |
12 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 2 | — | 4 | — | 27 | — |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
Honors and Awards
- He held the record for most "Mountains classification" wins in the Tour de France (6 wins).
- A cycling race in Mere, Belgium, is named after him: GP Lucien Van Impe.
- He was named "Best climber of all times" by climbbybike.com in 2007.
- Another race, the Lucien Van Impe Classic, started in 2014.
- A statue honoring him was placed in Erpe-Mere in 2016.
- He became an honorary citizen of Lede in 2018.
Images for kids
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Van Impe in 2001
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Van Impe in 1971
See also
In Spanish: Lucien van Impe para niños
