Henri Rik Van Looy (1933 to 2024) was a Belgian professional cyclist of the post-war period, nicknamed the King of the Classics or Emperor of Herentals after the small Belgian city where he lived. He dominated the classic races in the late 1950s and early 1960s, was twice world professional road race champion and was the first cyclist to win all five Monuments. With 367 professional road victories he ranks second all-time behind Eddy Merckx, and with thirty-seven Grand Tour stage wins he is ninth on the all-time list. He rode the road race at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki without completing it. He made his Tour de France debut in 1962, and in 1963 he took four stages and won the points competition.
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Source Rik Van Looy (Wikipedia)Lead, first sentenceQuote, Lead, first sentence
was a Belgian professional cyclist of the post-war period
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1. Rik Van Looy (Wikipedia)
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(20 December 1933-17 December 2024)
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He took part in the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, participating in the road race, but without completing it.
Lead, first sentence
was a Belgian professional cyclist of the post-war period
Competed In: Tour de France, Article text, Tour de France
In 1963 Van Looy rode the Tour de France again, taking four stages en route to victory in the points competition
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