Lucien Van Impe

Lucien Van Impe

Lucien Van Impe, born October 1946 in Belguim, was a professional bicycle racer from 1969 through the year 1987. He is best known for his ability to climb mountains on his bike.

He gives another great climber, Spainiard Federico Bahamontes, credit for his professional career. Bahamontes used his influence to get Van Imp a contract as a professional, after Van Impe won the climbers jersey as an amateur in the 1968 Tour l'Avenir. 

Van Imp is best known for his 1976 win of the Tour de France and winning the "King of the mountains" title six times at the Tour. His mentor, Federico Bahamontes, was the first rider to win  the climbers competition six times. Lucien Van Imp was critical of Richard Virenque when he broke the record with seven "King of the mountains" titles. Van Impe said he had refrained from breaking Bahamontes' record himself out of respect. 

In 1981 Van Imp was second place in the Tour de France and won the climbers' competition.

At the Giro d'Italia he won the mountain classification twice during his career.

Lucien Van Impe started fifteen Tour de Frances and reached the finish in Paris every time. He certainly would have had more Tour de France victories if so much of career hadn't over lapped with the great racer Eddy Merchx. 

During or after his professional career, Van Impe has never tested positive, refused a doping test or confessed having used doping.

In recent years he has been head of the Veranda Willems professional cycling team. 

Lucien Van Impe lives Impe, Belgium. His house is called Alpe D'Huez after the French mountain where he took the yellow jersey (of the leader in the Tour de France) in 1976.

Lucien Van Impe 1974

Lucien Van Imp 1976

Lucien Van Impe breaking away during the 1977 Tour de France

Lucien Van Impe 1980

Lucien Van Impe 1981

Lucien Van Impe wearing the best climber's jersey in the 1983 Tour de France

Click here to learn more about Frederico Bahamontes.

The Eagle of Toledo - The Life and Times of Federico Bahamontes - by Alasdair Fotheringham

The Eagle of Toledo
The Life and Times of Federico Bahamontes
by: Alasdair Fotheringham
Published: June 21, 2012 by Aurum Press Ltd
Hardback, 281 pages
www.aurumpress.co.uk

The Eagle of Toledo by Alasdair Fotheringham is the biography of Federico Bahamontes.  He is most famous for his 1959 win of the Tour de France and being the first Spanish rider to win the tour. He also won the King of the Mountains classification in the Tour de France six times. His amazing ability to climb mountains on his bike earned him the nickname "The Eagle of Toledo".

Alasdair Fotheringham did a great deal of research and interviews in preparation for writing this book. He interviewed teammates, rivals and of course Federico Bahamontes himself.

Bahamontes was a child at the time of the Spanish Civil Wars that took place form 1936 through 1939 and ended in General Franco's forces taking over the democratically elected Republic. After the war his family was facing near starvation as many were during this time in Spain. Reading this part of the book is an eye opening experience into the struggle for survival of many people during this portion of Spain's history. Federico's childhood was a constant search for food.

This book is enjoyable to read up to a point. I enjoyed reading about Federico Bahamontes rise to fame and fortune, but didn't enjoy the second half of the book as much. The author writes in depth about the controversies that arose during Bahamontes years of professional bicycle racing. My disappointment in the book is probably due to the fact that I was expecting a story of a racer who was successful and a book that ended in"they all lived happily ever after". Learning more about Federico Bahamontes and the history of Spain was my favorite part of the book. Click here for more photos and information on Federico Bahamontes.