Tour of Belgium

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Tour of Belgium (Ronde van België/Tour de Belgique) is a four-day bicycle race which is held annually in Belgium.

It was held annually between 1908 and 1981, except during both world wars. Between 1982 and 1990 several of races were not organised and none at all during the decade 1991 to 2001. From 2002 onwards the race has again become an annual fixture on the cycling calendar.

Following the start of the UCI ProTour in 2005 it looked like the race would merge with the Eneco Tour of Benelux, however this has not happened and it is now one of the UCI Europe Tour competition.

[edit] Winners of the Tour of Belgium

No rider has managed to win the Tour of Belgium more than two times. Of the eight riders who managed to win it twice, only two have achieved consecutive wins.

Name	Country	Wins	Years
Louis Mottiat	France	2	1914,1920
Emile Masson	France	2	1919,1923
René Vermandel	Belgium	2	1921,1922
Henri Van Kerckhove	Belgium	2	1952,1954
Noël Foré	Belgium	2	1958,1962
Eddy Merckx	Belgium	2	1970,1971
Roger Swerts	Belgium	2	1972,1974
Frans Maassen	Netherlands	2	1988,1990

[edit] Complete list of winners

Year	Name	Country
2006	Maarten Tjallingii	Netherlands
2005	Tom Boonen	Belgium
2004	Sylvain Chavanel	France
2003	Michael Rogers	Australia
2002	Bart Voskamp	Netherlands
2001	Race not held
1991	Race not held
1990	Frans Maassen	Netherlands
1989	Sean Yates	United Kingdom
1988	Frans Maassen	Netherlands
1987	Race not held
1986	Nico Emonds	Belgium
1985	Ludo Peeters	Belgium
1984	Eddy Planckaert	Belgium
1983	*Race not held*
1982	*Race not held*
1981	Ad Wijnands	Netherlands
1980	Gerrie Knetemann	Netherlands
1979	Daniel Willems	Belgium
1978	André Dierickx	Belgium
1977	Walter Planckaert	Belgium
1976	Michel Pollentier	Belgium
1975	Freddy Maertens	Belgium
1974	Roger Swerts	Belgium
1973	Leif Mortensen	Denmark
1972	Roger Swerts	Belgium

Year	Name	Country
1971	Eddy Merckx	Belgium
1970	Eddy Merckx	Belgium
1969	Eric De Vlaeminck	Belgium
1968	Wilfried David	Belgium
1967	Carmine Preziosi	Italy
1966	Vittorio Adorni	Italy
1965	Jean Stablinski	France
1964	Benoni Beheyt	Belgium
1963	Peter Post	Netherlands
1962	Noël Foré	Belgium
1961	Rik van Looy	Belgium
1960	Alfons Sweeck	Belgium
1959	Armand Desmet	Belgium
1958	Noël Foré	Belgium
1957	Pino Cerami	Belgium
1956	André Vlaeyen	Belgium
1955	Alex Close	Belgium
1954	Henri Van Kerckhove	Belgium
1953	Florent Rondele	Belgium
1952	Henri Van Kerckhove	Belgium
1951	Lucien Matthijs	Belgium
1950	Albert Dubiusson	Belgium
1949	Ernest Sterckx	Belgium
1948	Stan Ockers	Belgium
1947	Maurice Van Herzele	Belgium
1946	Albert Ramon	Belgium
1945	Norbert Callens	Belgium
1944	World War II
1940	World War II

Year	Name	Country
1939	Joseph Somers	Belgium
1938	François Neuville	Belgium
1937	Adolf Braeckeveldt	Belgium
1936	Emile Decroix	Belgium
1935	Jef Moerenhout	Belgium
1934	François Gardier	Belgium
1933	Jean Aerts	Belgium
1932	Léon Louyet	Belgium
1931	Maurice de Waele	Belgium
1930	Emile Joly	Belgium
1929	Armand Van Brueane	Belgium
1928	Jules Van Hevel	Belgium
1927	Paul Matton	Belgium
1926	Jean Debusschere	Belgium
1925	Denis Verschueren	Belgium
1924	Félix Sellier	France
1923	Emile Masson	France
1922	René Vermandel	Belgium
1921	René Vermandel	Belgium
1920	Louis Mottiat	France
1919	Emile Masson	France
1918	World War I
1915	World War I
1914	Louis Mottiat	France
1913	Dieudonné Gauthy	Belgium
1912	Odile Defraye	Belgium
1911	René Vandenberghe	Belgium
1910	Jules Masselis	France
1909	Paul Duboc	France
1908	Lucien Petit	France

[edit] Winners by nation

Rank	Country	Winners	Most Recent Winner	Wins
1	Belgium	René Vermandel, Henri Van Kerckhove, Noël Foré, Eddy Merckx and Roger Swerts (2)	Tom Boonen 2005	54
2	France	Louis Mottiat and Emile Masson (2)	Sylvain Chavanel 2004	10
3	Netherlands	Frans Maassen (2)	Maarten Tjallingii 2006	7
4	Italy	Carmine Preziosi and Vittorio Adorni	Carmine Preziosi 1967	2
5	Australia	Michael Rogers	Michael Rogers 2003	1
	Denmark	Leif Mortensen	Leif Mortensen 1973	1
	United Kingdom	Sean Yates	Sean Yates 1989	1