Rik Van Steenbergen

{{Infobox cyclist

| name = Rik Van Steenbergen

| image = Rik van Steenbergen (1967).jpg

| caption = Van Steenbergen in 1967

| full_name = Rik Van Steenbergen

| nickname = Rik I (Rik II is Rik Van Looy)
The Boss

| birth_name = Constant Hendrik Van Steenbergen

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1924|09|09|df=y}}

| death_date = {{death date and age|2003|05|15|1924|09|09|df=y}}

| birth_place = Arendonk, Belgium

| death_place = Antwerp, Belgium

| height =

| weight =

| currentteam =

| discipline = Road/Track

| role = Rider

| ridertype = Classics specialist, sprinter

| amateuryears1 =

| amateurteam1 =

| proyears1 = 1943

| proteam1 = Alcyon / Europe-Dunlop

| proyears2 = 1944

| proteam2 = Trialoux-Wolber

| proyears3 = 1945-47

| proteam3 = Mercier

| proyears4 = 1948

| proteam4 = Mercier / Bristol

| proyears5 = 1950-51

| proteam5 = Mercier / Girardengo-Ursus

| proyears6 = 1952

| proteam6 = Mercier / Girardengo-Clement

| proyears7 = 1953

| proteam7 = Mercier / Girardengo-Hutchinson

| proyears8 = 1954

| proteam8 = Mercier / Girardengo-Eldorado

| proyears9 = 1955

| proteam9 = Girardengo-Eldorado / Elvé-Peugeot

| proyears10 = 1956

| proteam10 = Girardengo-Icep / Elvé-Peugeot

| proyears11 = 1957

| proteam11 = Peugeot-BP-Dunlop / Cora-Elvé

| proyears12 = 1958

| proteam12 = Elvé-Peugeot-Marvan

| proyears13 = 1959-60

| proteam13 = Peugeot-BP-Dunlop

| proyears14 = 1961-62

| proteam14 = Solo-Van Steenbergen

| proyears15 = 1963

| proteam15 = Solo-Terrot-Van Steenbergen

| proyears16 = 1964-66

| proteam16 = Solo–Superia

| majorwins = Grand Tours

:Tour de France

::4 individual stages (1949, 1952, 1955)

:Giro d'Italia

:: Sprints classification (1954, 1957)

::15 individual stages (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1957)

:Vuelta a España

::Points classification (1956)

::6 individual stages (1956)

Stage races

: Tour de l'Ouest (1951)

: Vuelta a la Argentina (1952)

One-day races and Classics

:World Road Race Championships (1949, 1956, 1957)

:National Road Race Championships (1943, 1945, 1954)

:Tour of Flanders (1944, 1946)

:Dwars door Vlaanderen (1945)

:Paris–Roubaix (1948, 1952)

:La Flèche Wallonne (1949, 1958)

:Paris–Brussels (1950)

:Milan–San Remo (1954)

Other

:Ruban Jaune (1948->1955)

:Critérium des As (1948, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1958)

Track Championships

:National Track Championships

::Madison (1955, 1961)

::Omnium (1944, 1955, 1961, 1963)

::Men's Individual Pursuit (1944)

::Derny (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964)

:European Track Championships

::Madison (1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963)

::Omnium (1959)

| show-medals = yes

| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry | {{BEL}} }}

}}

Hendrik Van Steenbergen (9 September 1924 – 15 May 2003) was a Belgian racing cyclist, considered to be one of the best among the great number of successful Belgian cyclists.

Early life

Van Steenbergen was born in Arendonk into a poor family. As a fledgling teenager, he worked successively as cigar-roller in a factory, as errand boy and as bicycle mechanic.The Bicycle, UK, 31 May 1950, p. 4 Dreaming of a cycling career like that of his idol Karel Kaers, the tall youngster started his first street race in Morkhoven on April 4, 1939, and won it. He eventually became one of Belgium's best juniors from 1939 to 1942, winning 52 road races.{{cite news |last=Vanysacker |first=Dries |date=2011 |title=Kop 23 - Rik Van Steenbergen (1924-2003): Voor alles broodrenner |language=nl |pages=197–201 |work=Vlaamse Wielerkoppen |publisher=Davidsfonds |url= |isbn=9789058268181}}

Career

Van Steenbergen was considered a "medical marvel" due to the exceptional large heart he had.

He started cycling as a professional during World War II in 1942, after being an amateur since he was 14. Although the official age limit was 21, it was decided that he could enter the professional circuit directly at the age of 18.{{cite news |date=31 August 2022 |title="Op een oude fiets moet je het leren". Over de West-Vlaamse inwijdingsperiode van Rik Van Steenbergen |language=nl |publisher=servicekoers.be |url=https://servicekoers.be/verhalen/west-vlaamse-inwijdingsperiode-rik-van-steenbergen |access-date=}} The next year, he won his first important races, and became Belgian road cycling champion. In 1944, he won the Tour of Flanders classic, which he won again two years later.

File:Rik Van Steenbergen spurt naar de eindmeet, Dwars Door België 1945, Waregem (collectie KOERS. Museum van de Wielersport).jpg in 1945]]

During his career, which lasted until 1966, Van Steenbergen won several more classics: Paris–Roubaix, Paris–Brussels and Milan–San Remo. He also won the World Road Cycling Championships three times (1949 Copenhagen, 1956 Copenhagen and 1957 Waregem), equaling the (still standing) record of Alfredo Binda. His last world title, a year after his second, was won in front of a home crowd. In addition, he placed third in the first post-war world championships in 1946. He held the Ruban Jaune for seven years for winning the 1948 Paris-Roubaix in a record average speed for a professional race, covering the 246 km at an average of 43.612 km per hour.

File:Rik Van Steenbergen-1953.JPG edition of 1953]]

His sporting achievements, combined with his physical appearance and natural authority made him a rider who was looked up to in the peloton, with or without fear. It earned him nicknames like The Boss or El Rey (the king).

{{Quote box

| quote = "The biggest phenomenon I have encountered on my way."

| source = Fausto Coppi on Van Steenbergen {{cite news |title=De bedrieger bedrogen |language=nl |publisher=De Volkskrant |publication-date=9 October 1999 |url=https://www.volkskrant.nl/sport/de-bedrieger-bedrogen~b9456df6/}}

| bgcolor = #CCDDFF

| align = right

| width = 29%

| quoted = 1

}}

Van Steenbergen also excelled on the track. He won 40 Six-day events, 276 Omniums and improved two world records. His track capabilities made him an excellent road sprinter. However, due to his size, he usually had difficulty climbing, which prevented him from winning major stage races. He nevertheless placed 2nd in the 1951 Giro d'Italia.

Between 1949 and 1957 he won four stages in the Tour de France and wore the yellow jersey for two days. In the same period he won fifteen stages in the Giro d'Italia and rode in the leader's pink jersey for nine days. In the Vuelta a España, he achieved six stage victories and the points classification and wore the amarillo jersey for one day. In 1951 he won the Tour of the West in France. The following year he won the Tour of Argentina.{{cite news |title=De bedrieger bedrogen |language=nl |publisher=De Volkskrant |publication-date=9 October 1999 |url=https://www.volkskrant.nl/sport/de-bedrieger-bedrogen~b9456df6/}} It is widely believed that he could have competed for victory in Grand Tours and other stage races had he concentrated on them, instead of racing almost every race he could enter.

Remarkable is a 48-hour spell in 1957, when Van Steenbergen raced in the Belgian Congo, Copenhagen, Paris and Liège, winning all four events.

After his career, a newspaper calculated that Van Steenbergen rode more than 1 million kilometers on a bike, the equivalent of 25 tours around the world.

In total, he won no less than 1,645 races, of which 331 road races and 1,314 track races.{{cite web |title=Een wielercarrière van ongeveer één miljoen kilometers |url=https://www.volkskrant.nl/sport/een-wielercarriere-van-ongeveer-een-miljoen-kilometers~bf6ac8c4/ |access-date=16 May 2003 |work=De Volkskrant |language=Dutch}}

Riding style

The muscular Van Steenbergen was known for his sprints and final jumps at finishes.

Van Steenbergen did not allow himself to be forced into a straitjacket. Nor did he want to surround himself too much with helpers. That gave him too much responsibility to have to win.

He preferred to go his own way, like a free bird in the peloton. On the road, he single-handedly arranged what needed to be done. That usually depended on his fitness, because Van Steenbergen never knew whether he was going to ride well or not, it only became apparent in the race. In that respect, he thrived on impulses.{{cite news |last=Sys |first=Jacques |date=2020 |title=Rik Van Steenbergen - The Boss |language=nl |pages=167-1971 |work=Top 1000 van de Belgische wielrenners |publisher=Lanoo |url= |isbn=9789401467254}}

Motivation

His big drive was his addiction to cycling. Van Steenbergen really enjoyed the atmosphere and competition in races and was noticed whistling on his bicycle on several occasions.

File:Rik van Steenbergen wordt gefeliciteerd door Miss Remington, Bestanddeelnr 909-6520.jpg]]

Another important aspect was the money that could be earned. His background as the child of a poor family, combined with the situation in post-war Belgium undoubtedly contributed to this.

After Van Steenbergen won a classic, he rode numerous other races. And only when the starting money started to decrease, he began aiming on another classic.

From 1960, he also focused more on track cycling. The bigger contracts in this sport and the stifling rivalry with Rik Van Looy were the main drivers of that conscious choice.

At the time he stopped cycling, Van Steenbergen owned several properties and flats in Belgium and Sardinia.{{Cite web |date= |title=The Cash Machine- Rik Van Steenbergen |url=https://www.cyclinglegends.co.uk/index.php/features/big-reads/88-the-cash-machine-rik-van-steenbergen |website=cyclinglegends.co.uk |language=en}}

Retirement

At the age of 42, Van Steenbergen ended his career in a packed Brussels Sports Palace.

Unprepaired for the life without cycling, he entered a dark period afterwards.

"It wasn't easy to get into mainstream society when they've been kissing your shoes for twenty years." Van Steenbergen later said.

He was named in connection with many unsavory practices. He had a gambling addiction and was suspected of drug trafficking, conspiracy and incitement to debauchery.{{cite news| url=http://www.gva.be/nieuws/media-en-cultuur/aid970431/wielerlegende-rik-van-steenbergen-duikt-op-in-seksfilm.aspx| title= Wielerlegende Rik Van Steenbergen duikt op in seksfilm|trans-title=Cycling legend Rik Van Steenbergen appears in adult movie| newspaper= Gazet van Antwerpen| date= 8 September 2010| author= Piedfort, Dominique| language= Dutch}}

During this period, in 1968, he also starred in the Belgian adult movie Pandore as the character Dimitri. In the context of that era the film was a sensational, provocative, scandal movie, although nowadays it wouldn't be labeled as an adult movie at all.{{cite web| url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0123213/| title= Pandore (1968)| website= Internet Movie Database}}

Van Steenbergen also ended up in jail for a while. He came close to prison for smuggling a suspect package over the Dutch border.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/may/24/guardianobituaries.sport|title=Obituary: Henri Van Steenbergen|last=Fotheringham|first=William|date=2003-05-24|work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-01-06|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}} But his marriage with the British Doreen Hewitt saved him from ruin and he got his life back on track.{{cite news |author=maj |date=8 September 2010 |title=Bioscoop speelt seksfilm met Rik Van Steenbergen |language=Dutch |trans-title=Cinema plays adult movie with Rik Van Steenbergen |newspaper=De Standaard |url=http://www.standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx?artikelid=DMF20100908_063&subsection=7}}

Despite the many side issues, he maintained his popularity among the cycling public. Later in life he became a welcome guest at sports evenings, competitions and television debates.

Death and commemoration

Rik Van Steenbergen died in Antwerp after a prolonged sickness, at the age of 78. The funeral was in the Sint Pauluskerk of Westmalle, attended by about 2000 people, including Eddy Merckx, Rik Van Looy, Roger De Vlaeminck, Walter Godefroot, Johan De Muynck, Lucien Van Impe, Freddy Maertens and Briek Schotte. The UCI president Hein Verbruggen and Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt also attended.

The following year, a statue was erected in his honour on the Wampenberg in Arendonk.

Career achievements

= Highlights =

3 World Road Cycling Championships (1949, 1956, 1957)
8 major classics wins (Tour of Flanders x 2, Paris–Roubaix x 2, La Flèche Wallonne x 2, Paris–Brussels, Milan–San Remo)
7 Belgian Road Championships
4 Stage wins in the Tour de France
15 Stage wins in the Giro d'Italia (including second overall 1951)
6 Stage wins in the Vuelta a España
6 European Track Championships
40 Six Day wins
11 Belgian Track Championships

= Records =

Record of most successful World Cycling Champion (3x gold, 1x bronze), shared with Alfredo Binda & Óscar Freire{{cite web |date= |title=World Professional (Elite) Road Cycling Championship |url=https://www.bikeraceinfo.com/worlds/world-championships-index.html |access-date= |publisher= |language=en}}
Most Critérium des As wins: 5 in 1948, 1952, 1955, 1957 & 1958
Most Acht van Chaam wins: 3 in 1956, 1958, 1960 (shared record)
Most Six Days of Brussels wins: 8 in 1948, 1949, 1951, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1962
Most Six Days of Madrid wins: 3 in 1963, 1964, 1965
Most track races won: 1,314 between 1939 and 1966

Awards and honours

File:Buste Rik Van Steenbergen, Wampenberg, Arendonk.jpg

40px Ruban Jaune: 1948->1955{{cite web |title=Palmarès de Rik van Steenbergen |url=http://www.memoire-du-cyclisme.eu/palmares/van_steenbergen_rik.php}}
40px Officer in the Belgian Order of Leopold II: 1957
Best foreign rider award: 1951 Giro d'Italia
Millionär auf Zwei Rädern, a German movie about him: 1965
Swiss AIOCC Trophy (fr): 1967{{cite web |date= |title=2017 AIOCC TROPHY |url=https://www.aiocc.ch/en/aiocc-trophy/ |language=en}}
Medal of honour of the City of Brussels: 1967
Bust by the KBWB: 1967
GP Rik Van Steenbergen: from 1991{{Cite web |date= |title=Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen start en komt aan in ‘zijn’ Arendonk: "Het moeten niet altijd de grootsteden zijn" |url=https://www.hln.be/arendonk/memorial-rik-van-steenbergen-start-en-komt-aan-in-zijn-arendonk-het-moeten-niet-altijd-de-grootsteden-zijn~ad102e2c/ |website= |publisher=Het Laatste Nieuws |language=nl |publication-date=29 September 2022}}
Rik van Steenbergen Classic from 1999{{cite web |title=Top Ride: The Rik Van Steenbergen Classic |url=https://pezcyclingnews.com/travel/top-ride-the-rik-van-steenbergen-classic/ |access-date=12 March 2015 |work=pezcyclingnews.com}}
Province of Antwerp sportsman of the 20th Century: 2000{{Cite web |date= |title=Achiel Bruneel en Rik Van Steenbergen |url=https://kempenskarakter.whirlihost.com/pawtucket/Detail/objects/DeMeyerHugo023 |website=kempenskarakter |language=nl}}
Introduced in the UCI Hall of Fame: 2002
Bust in Arendonk: 2004{{Cite web |date=5 October 2004 |title=Arendonk onthult standbeeld Rik Van Steenbergen |url=https://www.standaard.be/cnt/g0f98t26 |website=De Standaard |language=nl}}
UCI Top 100 of All Time: 4,900 points

Books

Rik Van Steenbergen: Het kind der goden by Peter Woeti in 1957. Hidawa, 80 p. (Dutch)
Rik van Steenbergen by Fred De Bruyne in 1963. G. Kolff, 41 p. (Dutch)
De Miljoenenfiets van Rik Van Steenbergen by Achille Van Den Broeck in 1966. De Brauwere, 391 p. (Dutch)
Rik I van Steenbergen by René Vermeiren, Hugo De Meyer in 1999. De Eecloonaar, 272 p. {{ISBN|9789074128568}} (Dutch, French, English, Italian, Spanish)
Rik I Memorial (1924 - 2003) by René Vermeiren in 2003. De Eecloonaar, 56 p. {{ISBN|9789074128957}} (Dutch)
Rik Van Steenbergen. Das Ass der Asse by Walter Rottiers. Bielefeld in 2005, Covadonga-Verlag, 144 p. {{ISBN|9783936973150}} (German)