Herman Vanspringel (14 August 1943 – 25 August 2022), also spelled Herman Van Springel, was a Belgian road racing cyclist, from Grobbendonk, in the Flemish Campine or Kempen region. He achieved podium finishes in all three of the grand tours with second place in the 1968 Tour de France[1] and 1971 Giro d'Italia,[2] and third place in the 1970 Vuelta a España.[3] He wore the maillot jaune during four stages of the 1968 Tour de France and for three stages in 1973.
 Vanspringel in 2013 | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Herman Vanspringel | ||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Monsieur Bordeaux–Paris | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 14 August 1943 Ranst, Belgium | ||||||||||||||
| Died | 22 August 2022 (aged 79) Grobbendonk, Belgium | ||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Road | ||||||||||||||
| Role | Rider | ||||||||||||||
| Rider type | Sprinter, Time Trial | ||||||||||||||
| Professional teams | |||||||||||||||
| 1965 | Dr Mann | ||||||||||||||
| 1966–1970 | Mann–Grundig | ||||||||||||||
| 1971–1972 | Molteni | ||||||||||||||
| 1973 | Rokado | ||||||||||||||
| 1974 | MIC–Ludo–De Gribaldy | ||||||||||||||
| 1975–1976 | Flandria–Velda | ||||||||||||||
| 1977 | IJsboerke–Colnago | ||||||||||||||
| 1978–1979 | Marc Zeepcentrale–Superia | ||||||||||||||
| 1980–1981 | Safir–Ludo | ||||||||||||||
| Major wins | |||||||||||||||
Grand Tours
Other
| |||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career
editVanspringel was an accomplished time-trial rider, almost winning the Tour de France in 1968. He was beaten in the last stage by Dutch rider Jan Janssen in a time-trial.[4] This remains as one of the closest races in Tour de France history. In the autumn that year, he won the classic Giro di Lombardia.
He won a record seven editions of the marathon Bordeaux–Paris.[5] He also won the Green Jersey in the 1973 Tour de France without winning a single stage. He finished in 6th place overall that year, the third time in his career he would finish in the top 10 of the Tour de France. He would finish in the top 10 one final time during the 1974 edition.[6] He would win a total of five stages during his ten participations in the Tour.
He was not allowed to ride the 1972 Tour de France due to signing for rival team Rokado for the 1973 season.[7]
Vanspringel cycled through the 1970s and ended his career at the end of the 1981 season. As a professional cyclist, he eventually won 136 road races.[8]
Flemish TV-maker and presenter, Mark Uytterhoeven, motivated by the 1968 Tour, founded a Herman Vanspringel fan club.[9][10]
Major results
edit- 1963
- 3rd Tour de Liège
- 1964
- 3rd Brussels-Opwijk
- 1966
- 1st Gent–Wevelgem
- 1st Brussel–Ingooigem
- 1st Flèche Hesbignonne
- 1st Grote Prijs Jef Scherens
- 1st Stage 2 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
- 1st Prix de St. Amands
- 3rd Milan–San Remo
- 3rd Circuit des Frontières
- 6th Overall Tour de France
- 1967
- 1st Stages 6 (TTT) & Stage 7 Tour de France
- 1st Flèche Hesbignonne
- 2nd Overall Tour of Belgium
- 1st Stage 2b
- 2nd Bordeaux–Paris
- 2nd Grote Prijs Jef Scherens
- 3rd Antwerpse Havenpijl
- 1968
- 1st Super Prestige Pernod International
- 2nd
Road race, UCI Road World Championships - 2nd Overall Tour de France
- 1st Stages 3 (TTT) & 13
- Held
after stages 3a-3b and 19-22a
- 1st Giro di Lombardia
- 1st Omloop Het Volk
- 1st Omloop van Midden-België
- 1st Trefle a Quatre Feuilles
- 2nd Paris–Roubaix
- 2nd Grand Prix des Nations
- 2nd Trofeo Baracchi (with Ole Ritter)
- 2nd Wattrelos–Meulebeke
- 3rd Rund um den Henninger Turm
- 3rd Overall Tour de Suisse
- 1st Stage 1
- 3rd Overall Tour of Belgium
- 1st Stage 1
- 3rd E3 Harelbeke
- 1969
- 1st Stages 10 and 21 Tour de France
- 1st Paris–Tours
- 1st Stages 4, 7 and 10 Tour de Suisse
- 1st Grand Prix des Nations
- 1st Overall À travers Lausanne
- 1st Stages 1 (TTT) & 2
- 1st Stage 1 Four Days of Dunkirk
- 1st Rund um den Henninger-Turm
- 1st Trofeo Baracchi (with Joaquim Agostinho)
- 1st G.P de Baden-Baden (with Roger De Vlaeminck)
- 1st Omloop van Midden-België
- 1st GP van Malderen
- 2nd Giro di Lombardia
- 2nd Wattrelos–Meulebeke
- 2nd Grand Prix Pino Cerami
- 3rd Overall Tour of Belgium
- 1st Stage 2b
- 3rd Rund um den Henninger Turm
- 3rd Gran Premio di Lugano
- 1970
- 1st Bordeaux–Paris
- 1st Brabantse Pijl
- 1st Grand Prix des Nations
- 1st Schaal Sels
- 1st Heistse Pijl
- 1st Omloop Schelde-Durme
- 1st Omloop van het Zuidwesten
- 1st Stage 3 Tour of Belgium
- 2nd Belgian National Road Race Championships
- 2nd Critérium des As
- 3rd Overall Vuelta a España
- 3rd Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
- 3rd Trofeo Baracchi with Willy In't Ven
- 1971
- 1st
National Road race Championships - 1st Stages 1 (TTT) & 16b Tour de France
- 1st Züri-Metzgete
- 1st Nokere Koerse
- 1st G.P de Baden-Baden (with Eddy Merckx)
- 1st GP Union Dortmund
- 1st Wattrelos–Meulebeke
- 1st Cronostafetta
- 1st Maaslandse Pijl
- 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia
- 2nd Overall Tour of Belgium
- 1st Stage 3
- 2nd Paris–Roubaix
- 2nd Boucles de l'Aulne
- 3rd Overall Giro di Sardegna
- 3rd Gran Premio di Lugano
- 1972
- 1st Interclubs TTT, National Road Championships
- 1st GP Stad Zottegem
- 1st Cronostafetta
- 1st Trofee Luc Van Biesen
- 1st Kessel–Lier
- 1st Brussels–Biévenne
- 1st Wezenbeek–Oppem
- 2nd Brabantse Pijl
- 2nd Scheldeprijs
- 2nd Overall Tour de la Nouvelle-France
- 2nd Leeuwse Pijl
- 2nd Giro del Mendrisio
- 2nd Trefle a Quatre Feuilles
- 3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
- 3rd Tour du Condroz
- 3rd Subida a Arrate
- 3rd Omloop der Grensstreek
- 1973
- 1st Stage 9 Volta a Catalunya
- 1st Stage 4 Tour de Suisse
- 1st Stage 6 (TTT) Paris–Nice
- 2nd Grand Prix of Aargau Canton
- 2nd Overall Tour of Belgium
- 1st Stage 1 (TTT)
- 2nd Overall Giro di Sardegna
- 3rd Amstel Gold Race
- 3rd Brabantse Pijl
- 3rd Giro di Lombardia
- 3rd Overall Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme
- 6th Overall Tour de France
- 1st
points classification - Held after stages 1b-2b
- 1st
- 1974
- 1st Brabantse Pijl
- 1st E3 Prijs Vlaanderen
- 1st Boucles de l'Aulne
- 1st Bordeaux–Paris
- 1st GP Betekom
- 3rd Overall Tour de Luxembourg
- 3rd Grand Prix Impanis-Van Petegem
- 1975
- 1st Bordeaux–Paris
- 1st GP Desselgem
- 1st Omloop van Oost-Vlaanderen
- 2nd Critérium des As
- 3rd Overall Tour de Luxembourg
- 3rd Omloop van Neeroeteren
- 1976
- 1st Nationale Sluitingsprijs
- 1st Grand Prix de Wallonie
- 2nd Bordeaux–Paris
- 2nd Rebecq-Rognon
- 2nd Omloop der Leievallei
- 1977
- 1st Bordeaux–Paris
- 1st Stage 7 Paris–Nice
- 1st Stage 2 Three Days of De Panne
- 2nd Flèche Hesbignonne
- 2nd Critérium des As
- 3rd La Flèche Wallonne
- 1978
- 1st Bordeaux–Paris
- 1st Le Samyn
- 1st Omloop van het Houtland
- 2nd Gullegem Koerse
- 2nd Brabantse Pijl
- 3rd Critérium des As
- 1979
- 2nd Overall Tour of Belgium
- 1st Stage 5
- 2nd Omloop der Grensstreek
- 3rd Bordeaux–Paris
- 1st Stage 4a
- 3rd GP Stad Zottegem
- 1980
- 1st Bordeaux–Paris
- 2nd Critérium des As
- 3rd Grand Prix Impanis-Van Petegem
- 3rd Omloop van Midden-Brabant
- 1981
- 1st Bordeaux–Paris
- 2nd Critérium des As
- 2nd Nokere Koerse
- 2nd GP Beeckman
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
editSource:[13]
| Grand Tour | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Vuelta a España
|
— | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 11 | — | — | 29 |
 Giro d'Italia
|
— | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tour de France
|
6 | 24 | 2 | 18 | DNF | 14 | — | 6 | 10 | 31 | DNF |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
Honours
edit
Books
edit- Herman Vanspringel – De Winnende Verliezer (112p, ISBN 9789053121399) by Robert Janssens and Tom Willems: 1999
- Herman Vanspringel (48p, ISBN 9789074128339) by Noël Truyers: 1999
- Herman Vanspringel 68 (159p, ISBN 9789491376016) by Mark Uytterhoeven: 2011[18]
- Herman Vanspringels Diamonds For Ever (207p) by Luc Wuyts and Marc Uytterhoeven: 2020[19]
References
edit- ^ "Clasificaciones" (PDF). Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 22 July 1968. p. 21. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 October 2019.
- ^ "Gosta Pettersson Gano El "Giro"" [Gosta Pettersson wins the "Tour"] (PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 11 June 1971. p. 17. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
- ^ "XX V Vuelta Ciclista a España – Clasificaciones Oficiales" (PDF). El Mundo Deportivo. 13 May 1970. p. 21. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 August 2022.
- ^ "Tour de France 'nearly man' Van Springel dies at 79". France 24. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ "Herman Vanspringel and Bordeaux–Paris". Koersmuseum Roeselare. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ "Clasificaciones oficiales" (PDF). Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 22 July 1974. p. 19. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 October 2019.
- ^ "FOTOSPECIAL. Herman Vanspringel 68". Het Nieuwsblad (in Flemish). 18 November 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ "Prachtig nieuw boek over Herman Vanspringel, Monsieur Bordeaux–Paris" (in Dutch). nnieuws.be. 14 September 2020.
- ^ "Monsieur Bordeaux–Paris geëerd in een nieuw wielerboek: "Herman Vanspringel is een diamant 'hors categorie' en mag nooit vergeten worden"". hln.be (in Dutch). 14 September 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ "Mark Uytterhoeven, superfan en vriend van Vanspringel: "Tweede plaats in de Tour maakt hem juist populairder"". Radio 1 (in Dutch). August 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ "Herman Van Springel". www.cyclingarchives.com. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ "Herman Van Springel". www.procyclingstats.com. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ "Grand tour results for Herman Van Springel". www.procyclingstats.com. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ "Herman Vanspringels Diamond" (in Dutch).
- ^ "De Zomer Van '68" (in Dutch). uitgeverijdemuur.nl (published 21 June 2008). 21 July 2018.
- ^ "Ereburger Kalmthout en ex-wielrenner Herman Vanspringel overleden". Gazet van Antwerpen (in Dutch). 25 August 2022.
- ^ "Inhuldiging borstbeeld Herman Vanspringel" (in Dutch). Grobbendonck.be. 1 July 2022.
- ^ M. Uytterhoeven: Herman Vanspringel 68. Veurne: Uitgeverij Kannibaal, 2011. ISBN 978-94-91376-01-6
- ^ "Luc Wuyts schrijft nieuw boek over Herman Vanspringel: "In 2030 koersen van vijftig tot zestig kilometer"" (in Dutch). Het Laatste Nieuws. 7 October 2020.
External links
edit- Herman Vanspringel at Cycling Archives
- Herman Vanspringel at ProCyclingStats
- Herman Vanspringel at CycleBase
