Source: National Archives & Historic Records of Belgium
Sports & Athletics • Historical Archive • 🇧🇪 Belgium • 1 views

Rik Van Steenbergen 🇧🇪

Hendrik Van Steenbergen (Known as "Rik I / The Boss")
Legendary Cyclist, Triple World Road Champion, Winner of Paris-Roubaix and Milan-San Remo
Born Sep 09, 1924 🇧🇪 Arendonk (Antwerp Province), Belgium
Passed Away May 15, 2003 Antwerp, Belgium
Lifespan 78 years old
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Notice / Correction
"When the sprint opens at 200 meters, you do not think; your instinct and iron legs do the talking."

Archival Overview

Colossus of twentieth-century cycling known as 'The Boss' (Rik I), one of only six men to win three World Road Cycling Championships (1949, 1956, 1957) and victor in 40 Six-Day track races.

Biographical Record

Turning professional in 1943 at age nineteen, Van Steenbergen possessed a devastating finishing sprint and supreme tactical mastery. He conquered cycling's greatest one-day Monuments: the Tour of Flanders (1944, 1946), Paris-Roubaix (1948, 1952), and Milan-San Remo (1954).

He captured the World Road Championship rainbow jersey three times: Copenhagen (1949), Copenhagen again (1956), and Waregem (1957). In addition to fifteen Grand Tour stage wins, he was the undisputed king of indoor Six-Day velodrome racing, amassing 40 victories with charismatic flair.

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
Arendonk Communal Cemetery
Arendonk (Antwerp Province), Belgium
GPS: 51.3200, 5.0833
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