Stan Ockers

A master tactician with an explosive sprint, Ockers finished runner-up in the Tour de France twice (1950, 1952) and won the Tour's points classification Green Jersey in 1955 and 1956. In 1955, he achieved the legendary Ardennes double, winning both Liège-Bastogne-Liège and La Flèche Wallonne.

Later that year, he conquered the 1955 World Road Cycling Championship in Italy, riding into national idol status. His sudden death in October 1956 following a crash on the wooden track of the Antwerp Sportpaleis sent Belgium into immense national grief; young Eddy Merckx kept Ockers' photo on his bedroom wall.