Rik van Steenbergen

Hendrik "Rik" 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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 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.

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.

He nevertheless placed 2nd in the 1951 Giro d'Italia.

In 1951 he won the Tour of the West in France.

The following year he won the Tour of Argentina.

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.

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.

His big drive was his addiction to cycling.

During his career, which lasted until 1966, Van Steenbergen won several more classics: Paris–Roubaix, Paris–Brussels and Milan–San Remo.